One Life One Love
by Musei Kage
Summary: Formerly titled Love and Betrayal. A broken promise led to a broken friendship, a lost companion and not to mention a burning hatred. So what's Shaorin supposed to do when she sees him again? KaiOC COMPLETED & revised
1. Reunion

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

Disclaimer: Musei Kage(Star Spirit) does not own Beyblade, only the original characters.

* * *

(A/N): Okay, so here's a quick rundown on their ages. And just to let you know I will most probably be revising the first few chapters!

Kai: 17

Rei: 17

Tyson: 16

Max: 16

Kenny: 16

OC's: 16

And before you start reading this story and feeling like you want to throw up because of how horrible it is (no offense taken haha), I should probably let you know that I started writing this many years ago and obviously sucked at it. Even the revising couldn't really take away some of the lameness. Hopefully you'll skim through this and by the time you get to the last half or so, you'll agree that I improved somewhat over the years... _hopefully_. This was all done in 2003-2005 other than the epilogue. And that's all I want to say, I think.

* * *

_"Students, I would like you to meet our new recruit. Her name is Shaorin Kimoto. And need I remind you that tomorrow, you will be assessed on your current progress, so be on your best behaviour."_

_A small hazel-eyed girl stood nervously in front of an audience of students; boys and girls from the ages 5-18, most of them young males only a few years older than Shaorin herself. _

_"I wonder what brought her here," a red headed boy studied her carefully from the back of the crowd. It was rare for females to be brought to the Abbey for training. _

_"Never seen her around," a two toned blunette answered him, watching her uninterestedly._

* * *

_"Kai-Kai!" the same little girl, only a few years older, called for her friend._

_"Right here, Rin. What is it?" Kai answered; annoyed with the nickname he was given. _

_Shaorin smiled widely and grabbed his arm, "Come! I wanna show you something!" _

* * *

_"Rin, why are you crying?" Tala asked when he found her hiding in her own room._

_Shaorin glanced up at the red head and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks._

_"I'm leaving…"_

* * *

_"Don't forget me, okay?" Shaorin said as she hugged Kai tightly._

_He nodded and pulled away gently, "I won't."_

_"Bye!" She hugged Tala as well before climbing into the car sent for her and disappearing down the road._

* * *

"This is so cool; we're halfway across the globe!" Tyson grinned.

"Man, this place is freezing," shivered Rei.

"Hello boys," a jovial voice greeted, they turned to see a plump, bald man smiling at them.

"Mr. Dickinson!" the Bladebreakers exclaimed except for the one named Kai.

"I came to let you boys know that you'll be meeting another team shortly to train with, before the Canadian tournament. They're of course the home team, the RebelBladers." Mr. Dickinson informed," I've much to do now boys, I will see you near the date of the tournament then."

"Well I guess we should get a move on then," Max grinned and jumped up a bit too hyped. Kai silently looked out to the snow as if waiting for something.

"Uh…Kai?" Tyson waved a hand in front of his stone expression.

"What?" he growled.

"Woah," Tyson jumped back a little surprised, "no need to blow up like that, man."

"Come on, let's go," Kai ordered, ignoring the comment.

* * *

After a short while, they arrived in front of a luxurious 5-star hotel. When they entered the lobby, 3 girls spotted them. The first was quite tall with short auburn hair and chocolate eyes; another had amber hair and ruby eyes. The last girl had copper hair with maroon eyes.

"Hi, you must be the BladeBreakers, right?" the taller one asked.

"Yes, but who are you?" Kenny questioned.

"We're the RebelBladers. I'm Sandy Hiura, and these are my teammates Celina Inoshi and Naomi Wara," Sandy gestured towards the two girls.

"Isn't there supposed to be four bladers?" Max asked.

"Yeah, but she's busy at the moment so we're meeting her instead, hope you don't mind," the ruby eyed Celina explained.

"What's her name?" Rei questioned.

"Shaorin Kimoto," Naomi replied. Kai's eyes shot open and a look of familiarity crossed Rei's face.

"Hiura, Wara, Inoshi and Kimoto…wait a sec; your families were on Forbes Top Billionaires List!" Kenny exclaimed.

"You could put it that way…" Sandy nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"Well it's about time we met up with her don't you think?" Naomi began.

"Let's go then," Celina led them a few blocks away from the hotel towards a tall record studio building. They went in and were greeted by the receptionist.

"Ah...Miss Inoshi, Miss Kimoto is on the second floor doing some last minute recording," she smiled warmly.

"Thanks," Celina nodded. They rode the elevator up to the second floor where the recording studio was located. Through a window they watched an auburn haired girl sing with a pair of headphones on her ears, swaying gently to the music. Her hazel eyes closed as she sang the last chord.

"And that's it for today, Miss Kimoto," the recording man smiled.

"Okay then, thanks for your help! I'll see you next time," Shaorin grinned, dashing out to meet her friends.

Kai studied her closely as he had done years ago when she had been first introduced.

'_It really is her… after all these years she was really right here in Canada. But does she still hate me? Oh damn, she sees me, I can see so much in her eyes, including the fact that she still hates me,' _he thought.

Shaorin glanced at the BladeBreakers and saw two familiar faces.

"REI!" she exclaimed.

"I was wondering when you'd recognize me," he chuckled as she hugged him tightly.

"You know each other?" Sandy asked.

"Of course, Rei's my cousin after all," Shaorin laughed. Then she saw Kai. Fear and hurt that was hidden away inside her suddenly released itself. _Why is he here? Isn't hurting me enough, why does he have to torture me like this._

"Shao?" Naomi tapped her shoulder, breaking her thoughts.

"Yeah?" she faked a smile.

"Ready to go yet?" Sandy asked.

"Yep," she nodded. She smiled at the BladeBreakers and nodded a 'hello', carefully avoiding Kai's gaze on her. Celina caught her nervous look, and frowned slightly, being her long time best friend she knew something was wrong.

* * *

End of Chapter 1

* * *

(A/N): Okay! I finally revised it a little, and it's not the best, but I like it a lot more than what I originally had back in 2003 when I first started this story. I'll be editing the next few chapters too probably.

_And also the italics were meant to be flashbacks or thoughts!_


	2. The Past Never Forgotten

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 2: The Past Never Forgotten**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

Sitting silently on her bed, Shaorin found herself reminiscing on distant memories. When she'd first arrived, she hated moving to this new country, but now, it was her refuge - where she could forget her memories of Russia and Kai. She had started over. A soft knock at her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in."

"Hey," Celina called to her softly as she slipped into the room.

"What's up?" Shaorin beamed, pushing away all her previous thoughts.

"That's what I want to know," Celina frowned slightly.

"I don't get what you're saying," Shaorin cocked her head to one side.

"What's up with you? Ever since we met the BladeBreakers you've been so quiet. Is something wrong?" She sat down and

gave her a serious look.

"What's wrong with me?" Shaorin snorted softly. "You try meeting up with a guy who was your childhood friend and broke your heart years ago."

"Childhood friend? Who?" Celina asked.

"Kai Hiwatari, the one and only," Shaorin sighed, shaking her head.

"What happened?" Celina questioned, confused. As friends, they shared a lot of secrets, but Shaorin had always been hesitant to speak about her past.

"Well, it's a pretty long story so get comfy," she smiled wryly. "I've known Kai since we were little, back when his grandfather, Voltaire, was a kinder man than what the news portrays nowadays. How he turned so cruel, I have no idea, but I'm guessing it was that poor-excuse-for-a-scientist Boris who changed him for the worse. Our fathers had separate companies but they were good friends. Back then, Kai wasn't this cold; he was nice boy when we were young. And I'd like to believe that he did care for me.

"When I was eleven, my family had to leave for Canada because of my father's business, so Kai and I made a pact to meet again in three years under an old climbing tree in front of the abbey. During those three years, I realized that I loved Kai. I was in love with my best friend who was halfway across the world, ironically.

"After three incredibly long years, I returned to Russia for a visit and to see him. I waited under the tree as planned and I waited… and waited. He never showed up. I guess he forgot about me and moved on, which frankly hurt. I hated being the one left behind and I've been trying to forget him, ever since. But sometimes, your heart works in cruel ways and deep down there's still a part of him in me, and I don't know if I should forgive or to forget completely." Celina saw her friend take a haggard breath as she finished her story, tears welling in her eyes from digging up the painful memories. She pulled her into a hug, attempting to sooth her pain.

"It hurts doesn't it? I know how you feel. When I first broke up with my boyfriend I felt a pang of regret, but I soon came to realize that my heart was never with him. But you're different, you KNOW you're in love, so don't give up just yet," Celina told her gently. Shaorin sniffed and smiled gratefully at her friend.

"Thanks," she murmured.

* * *

Kai was in his room, leaning by the window with his hand in his pocket, running his fingers along his blade in a frustrated manner.

'_After all these years…we meet again Shaorin. I still remember the sweet and naïve girl that I always played with when I was young.'_

His thoughts wandered off to a memory buried deep in his mind.

_"Kai! Kai!" a six year old Shaorin ran up to a seven year old Kai._

_"Shaorin!" he __smiled boyishly._

_"Look Kai-kun, look at what Daddy gave me!" she held up a crimson and violet blade in her little hands. Suddenly a great light emitted from the blade and she dropped it in shock. Kai held her protectively, shielding her from the blinding light. A large lion with wings appeared; she stared affectionately at the two before entering the blade._

_"A-A bit beast!" Shaorin gaped._

_"Good for you, Shaorin," Kai __congratulated genuinely, "What are you going to name it?" The name Liatora whispered in Shaorin's ears._

_"Liatora," she declared proudly._

He smiled bitterly at the memory. If only he'd been able to see her back then, then maybe things would have turned out differently. If Voltaire hadn't been 'brainwashed' by Boris, Kai would have been able to return to Russia. He silently cursed the scientist and his schemes. But what's done is done.

Reluctantly, Kai decided to clear his mind and went out to take a short walk around the hotel. Along the way, he bumped into Rei.

"Kai, there you are. Man you're hard to find," Rei chuckled.

"What do you want?" Kai snapped, obviously in a bad mood.

"Whoa, calm down, I just wanted to talk," he held his hands up defensively.

"Then talk," Kai said.

"What's up with you and my cousin, Shaorin?" Rei asked directly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

A scowl formed on Kai's face, "It's none of your business." He moved to sidestep his teammate but Rei grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"It's my business, because she's my cousin and I think of her like a younger sister." His tone was more serious than usual.

A bit taken back, Kai gave him a long stare, before finally replying, "She hates me, that's all I know."

Rei arched an eyebrow, "Hates you? But you just met."

"That's what you think," Kai snorted. "I've known her since we were kids."

"You…have?" Rei gaped, his turn to be surprised. "But why would she be mad at you?"

"Because I broke a stupid promise when we were 14 and I left her in Russia," Kai said. Long story short… that _was_ the basic story.

"How could you leave her like that?" Rei exclaimed. He was angered that Kai would hurt his cousin like that. He always knew her as a sweet girl, and not deserving of such a cruel treatment from the blunette.

"I had no choice, my so-called Grandfather wouldn't let me go to Russia after I came to Japan," Kai replied, irritated. Rei narrowed his golden eyes but didn't push any further. In a way, he could see that Kai was showing remorse. A silence lingered over the conversation for a moment.

"Do you plan to make up with her?" Rei finally asked.

Kai sighed, "I don't know Rei, I want to but I just can't do it."

* * *

End Chapter 2

* * *

Revised: May 29, 2011


	3. Hating You

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 3: Hating You**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. Only the OCs belong to me.

* * *

_All these things I wanna say  
__All these things I wanna do  
__But this is just another day  
__Another day without you_

Shaorin sighed in frustration as she put her pen down. She used to love songwriting, but now there were too many things on her mind that she just couldn't think straight. Determined, she picked up her pen again and began writing.

_The words are on the tip of my tongue  
__Ones that I wanna tell you  
__Though some may think I'm too young  
__But I'm in love with you  
__I just wish I could forget  
__Things that you lead me to believe in  
__But my heart won't let me just yet  
__Erase all the memories you're in_

"Gees…this is starting to sound a bit extreme," Shaorin murmured, and rolled of her bed that she was laying on. She glanced at her digital clock, which read 8:15. Kai and Sandy wanted them training by 9:00, so she had plenty of time. Searching through her stuff, she threw on a creamy white turtle neck shirt, and dark blue jeans, topping it of with comfy black boots. Leaving her hair down, she ventured out to find her teammates.

"Sandy…" she knocked on the door of her usually energetic captain. A soft groan was heard before the door opened to reveal a sleepy looking girl.

"Rise and shine Sandy, it's time to wake up!" Shaorin grinned, then stopped short noticing the look on the older girl's face, "Oh my, you don't look so well." She placed a hand on her forehead and made a face. She was burning up.

"You're staying in bed today. I'll have someone get you something to cool you down, ok?" Shaorin's motherly instincts took over. Sandy only nodded mutedly and trudged back to her bed falling asleep instantly.

Shaorin sighed, "Looks like Kai will be training us alone." She stepped out of the room looking for her other friends.

"Morning, Shao!" Celina chirped, followed by Naomi and the BladeBreakers.

"Hey, Sandy's not feeling well, so I'm going to watch over her, ok?" Shaorin asked.

"No," Naomi shook her head, "I will. You've been recording a lot lately, maybe you should catch up on training." She had a point; Shaorin was skipping training a lot these days, and feeling quite guilty about it too.

"Um…Ok, if it's alright with the others," she agreed reluctantly.

'_And I was hoping to avoid Kai too_,' Shaorin thought.

"Come on then, let's go," Tyson exclaimed, "I still haven't had my breakfast." And he ran off towards the restaurant in the hotel.

"Hey, wait up Tyson!" Max called after him and followed his friend. Rei and Celina exchanged glances and shrugged following suit, leaving Kai and Shaorin by themselves. Not in any sort of hurry, they walked silently after them. Much to her chagrin, Shaorin found herself seated beside the captain. It wasn't hard to ignore him, as he wasn't very talkative to begin with, but she felt her appetite dwindle when his arm brushed against hers. Curse the small booth they were squished in! She quickly finished her breakfast and got up.

"I'm going out for a stroll, I'll see ya'll later," she excused herself and headed to the exit. Kai, who had also finished, got up without a word and left. He swiftly caught up to Shaorin and caught her arm, effectively stopping her.

She found herself faced with his harsh star, "Do you hate me that much, that you don't even want to see me?" She gazed right back at him unaffected by the question and turned away, not answering.

"Aren't you at least going to talk to me?" Kai frowned. She still didn't speak.

"Shaorin, I-…" he managed to say, before she cut him off.

"Look Hiwatari, I have nothing to say to you, so get lost…at least until I _have_ to see you again," she snapped. He saw emotions burning in her eyes of hurt, betrayal and regret. Shaorin wrenched her arm out of his hold and stomped off to find a quiet place for her to cool down.

_'Hmm…how do I always get myself into these things? A part of me wants to forgive him but a part of me doesn't. If only love was as simple as the songs I sing,'_ Shaorin mused as she sat down on a park bench. She caught sight of two little kids at about the age of seven playing in the grass together laughing giddily.

_A younger Shaorin ran happily through a grassy field, picking wild flowers as she went along. Her family and Kai had taken a vacation in the countryside, enjoying the fresh air and breathtaking view. Shaorin wove the flowers into a chain and placed them on her head, pretending she was a princess. Kai crept up behind her silently and jumped on her. Shaorin screamed in surprise and turned around._

_"Kai! Don't scare me like that!" she pouted._

_"Your mother wants you back, it's time to eat," he grinned._

_"Okay, catch me if you can!" Shaorin giggled and ran off with Kai hot on her heels. Laughing, they both collapsed in a pile when they reached the house._

_"Kai?" she stared up at him when he pulled her up._

_"Yea, Rin?" he looked at her questioningly._

_"Will we be friends forever and ever?" she asked, Kai blushed slightly._

_"Of course, we'll be friends forever, I promise," he nodded._

"Friends forever, yeah right," Shaorin murmured.

"Shaorin!" someone called for her. She turned to see Rei, who beckoned her to go inside for training. Obediently, she followed him back to the bey-gym in the hotel.

"Shao, there you are. We were looking all over for you," Celina sighed in relief when she saw her friend.

"Not to worry, you know I have a tendency to lose track of time," Shaorin joked.

"Since you're here now, can you both battle with the guys so that I can see where you are in training?" Kenny asked. Both girls nodded. Celina went first and wiped Max and Rei out with her Pandora Bit Beast, which was a red glowing black panther. She tied with Tyson and lost to Kai.

"Wow, you guys are good," she commented when she finished.

"We aren't World Champs for nothing," Tyson grinned.

"I guess I'm up next then," Shaorin smiled. She worked hard to beat them, but it would seem that her lack of practice was taking a toll on her as she lost to Tyson in the last moment. Still determined, it was time to face Kai. She grimaced slightly but readied her blade.

/Let it Rip/

"Dranzer," Kai shouted for his beast without hesitance.

"Liatora," Shaorin summoned. The two Bit Beasts lashed out each other, at their master and mistress's command.

"Dranzer, Fury Ember," Kai said, using a newly trained attack.

She defended, as balls of fire fell towards Liatora, "Gate of Heaven!"

"You've improved, I see," he smirked. Shaorin looked at him icily while the others watched them in confusion.

She glared at him and sent another wave of attack, "Ice Shards." A glacial torrent rained upon the dish, with Dranzer taking the brunt of the attack.

"Fury Ember," Kai merely commanded Dranzer again. The two attacks clashed and both blades flew out of the dish landing at their owners feet, the battle had ended in a tie.

"That power was incredible," Max gaped.

"I'll say," Kenny added, "Both attacks were off the charts!"

"Anybody got an aspirin," Dizzy joked, "my head's still ringing from all that force." A smile grazed Shaorin's lips, barely visible.

_'He hasn't lost his touch,'_ she thought before walking back towards Celina. She noticed a nearby radio and turned it on to her favourite station. A mellow tune rang out, and Shaorin recognized it to be a song from her last music album just as her own voice floated through the room. She thought it was funny that a song she'd written a year ago could suddenly become so applicable.

_I used to think that life was unfair  
__But that was Yesterday  
__I wanna have someone who will care  
__For me day after day  
__Someone who won't leave me in the dust  
__Lost and confused_

_Coz I don't wanna be lonely…  
__Once again  
__But still there is no one  
__Who treats me the way you do_

_I wish that someday I could open my eyes  
__To everything  
__Instead of living in a lie  
__But anything will do, just anything_

Before the song could continue anymore, she quickly shut off the radio and the guys looked at her expectantly.

"What?" she blinked.

"When did you start singing like that?" Rei asked, having never realized that his cousin had that talent.

"Uh…I always sing like that?" she answered, clearly not understanding. Celina sighed, and mumbled something like, 'dense'.

"Hey, you people want to go out afterwards?" Celina asked, changing the topic.

"Sure, if Kai's okay with us going early," Max answered, looking at Kai who shrugged. He was satisfied with their training for the day, and too caught up thinking about the lyrics that had just been playing to care what they were going to do.

"I heard there's a new mall opening in town, let's check it out, Shao!" she exclaimed excitedly and ran off dragging Shaorin with her. While the poor BladeBreakers were left wondering if they had made the right choice.

* * *

"Oh my god, this looks so cute on you!" Celina exclaimed, holding up a shirt in front of Shaorin, "You have _so_ got to get it."

"Okay…" Shaorin smiled nervously, and took the pale green top. Celina's energy always went into overdrive when she was shopping, and it was never good to argue with her then. Kenny had went to the electronics shop, looking for new upgrades for Dizzi and Tyson had went to the food court dragging Max along who had wanted to look at the Arcade first. So it was only Rei, Kai, Celina and Shaorin left.

"Isn't this cute!" Celina squealed again, and now held up a black mini skirt.

"Ow…Lina if you don't stop screaming I'm going to go deaf!" Shaorin complained, covering her ears for effect.

"Sorry! But you just have to try this on," she insisted.

"Both?" Shaorin held up the shirt and skirt, Celina nodded.

"Fine," she sighed, there was no use arguing with her anyways.

Shaorin came back wearing the outfit and a displeased expression on her face.

"You look so good!" Celina gasped.

Shaorin blushed and tugged at the bottom of the skirt. "It's too short," she protested.

"Come, let's get the guy's opinion on this." Celina dragged Shaorin towards where Kai and Rei were waiting for them.

"Celina, I don't want to!" she argued, trying to pull her back. Celina must have been working out lately because there was no stopping her.

"Oh, don't be such a chicken," Celina urged when they finally spotted the two guys who were looking quite bored and out of place.

"Hey Kai, Rei!" she shouted as they turned around, "How do you think Shaorin looks?" Shaorin blushed crimson and tugged at the hem of her short skirt again.

"Nice," Rei chuckled at his cousin. A small smirk played on Kai's lips; he was pleasantly surprised at how much she'd matured.

"See, I was right," the ruby eyed girl grinned.

"Ugh, fine. I'll buy it," Shaorin rolled her eyes. Celina cheered at her victory. Celina - 1, Shaorin - 0.

* * *

End Chapter 3

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011

Note: I'm still kind of wondering what the heck I was smoking when I was writing this…Bear with me, it (hopefully) gets better.


	4. Of Roller Coasters and Ferris Wheels

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 4: Of Roller coasters and Ferris wheels**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or the song Heartbreak Lullaby

* * *

"God, remind me never to go shopping with Celina again," Rei sighed in relief when he plopped onto the couch after returning to the hotel.

"Ditto that," Max nodded. The whole day, Celina and Shaorin had dragged them into store after store tirelessly. Even the mighty Kai was beat. Behind a small crack in the door, the two girls winked at each other holding in their laughter. Once they were back in Shaorin's room, they both released the breath they'd been holding and rolled onto the floor in their giggling.

"That's one way to tire them out," Celina commented.

"So now we know their weakness," Shaorin grinned evilly.

"SHOPPING!" they both exclaimed and burst into another fit of giggles.

"What's all the noise about?" Naomi asked as she and Sandy joined them. The two girls told them all the details on the day's events.

"I don't blame them, after spending three hours shopping with you two, even we'd be beat," Sandy teased. Celina pouted and the others laughed.

"So how're you feeling, Sandy?" Shaorin asked.

"Perfectly fine, I'm all refreshed now!" the older girl grinned, "And now I can go training with you guys."

"Typical Sandy," Naomi shook her head.

* * *

Back in the Blade Breakers' suite, the boys were all lounging around, either still tired from the trip or figuring out what to do next.

"Hey anybody hungry?" Tyson asked out of the blue.

"Tyson…is food the ONLY thing you think about?" Kenny groaned.

"Well, I can't help it, I'm a growing boy!" Tyson crossed his arms.

"You mean one with a bottomless pit for a stomach," Max teased. A knock on the door prevented the navy haired boy from retorting back.

"We're going to the amusement park, and were wondering if you guys wanted to tag along?" Sandy asked.

"Is there food there?" Tyson grinned.

"Well, duh," Naomi rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Tyson jumped up, feeling recharged at the thought of all the popcorn, cotton candy and corn dogs.

"Is he always like that?" Sandy sweat dropped. The Blade Breakers excluding Tyson nodded.

* * *

"Wow, it's so big. I haven't been here since I was a kid," Celina sighed, staring at the brightly lit amusement park they had entered.

"And the food here is delicious," Tyson commented chewing on a corn dog.

"Pig…" Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Did you say something?" Tyson blinked.

"Ah…I said wig, uh…maybe Shaorin needs to wear a wig so we don't get paparrazi-ed," Naomi smiled a bit too innocently. Shaorin raised an eyebrow at her, since when was she part of the conversation.

"Hey, look! It's that new rollercoaster they built!" Sandy exclaimed pointing at an enormous looking rollercoaster complete with 360 degree loops and practically straight falls.

A faint squeak came from Shaorin, "R-Rollercoaster?" Her eyes widened as she stared at the contraption.

"Something the matter Shaorin?" Sandy asked, oblivious to her panic.

"Are you sure you want to go up there? I could stay down here with you," Rei insisted. Not wanting to ruin her cousin's fun, she shook her head.

Shaorin smiled nervously. "No, I'll be fine," she assured him. But the death grip on his arms told him otherwise. He heard her gulp loudly just as they were strapped into their seats, and he gave an amused smile at the look of terror in her eyes.

"On second thought, remind me never to go on a rollercoaster again," Shaorin groaned later, after they got off the ride. Her legs felt like jelly and she had to grab onto Rei for support as she felt her world spin. A nauseous feeling swirled in her stomach, but she breathed deeply and willed it away.

"Hey look, a Ferris wheel!" Max pointed to the high revolving ride.

"It goes so high," Celina commented.

"You up for it Shaorin?" Sandy teased her.

"Ferris wheels are a different story," Shaorin pouted. "They don't attempt to kill you."

"Then hurry up," Tyson yelled and was already headed towards it.

"Hey!" Kenny exclaimed and ran off after him. They were standing in front of the Ferris wheel, when Tyson excused himself after seeing another food stand and told them to go on without him.

"Alright, I'll sit with Kenny then," Sandy nodded. Somehow, someway, Kai managed to end up sitting with Shaorin.

_'Celina, I'm going to get you for this!' _Shaorin glared at her friend who was in front of them with Rei, a knowing look twinkling in her eyes.

The glass door closed on them and they sat in silence, neither one wanting to speak.

"Shaorin," Kai finally broke the silence.

"What?" Shaorin spat angrily, eyes still trained on the park grounds below them.

"Just hear me out," he pleaded to her, "I wanted to be there with you in Russia, but Grandfather refused to let me see you."

"Oh, so now this is all suddenly Voltaire's fault isn't it," she eyed him. Angry hazel eyes met hurt mahogany ones. "It doesn't change the fact that you weren't there that day. I was hurt by you, and that won't be changing for sometime either."

"Don't you get it, Rin? I didn't purposely leave you there, nor did I want to hurt you. Things just happen, and I couldn't get there in time. I tried," Kai attempted to explain.

"Yah right, and it's Kimoto to you, Hiwatari," Shaorin glared.

"Why are you always so stubborn?" Kai finally exploded. Shaorin winced at his tone, and looked away again. Instantly, Kai regretted raising his voice.

"I…take after my mother, that's what Dad says," she whispered softly and tears formed at the back of her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he questioned at her sudden quietness.

"After I left Russia…a year later, she died," she blinked her tears away. "With Mom gone and Dad constantly at work, there was no one to care for me like before. My _nanny_ became my family. I wanted so badly to go back to Russia… Where I thought I would see you again, the only one who understood me, the _real_ me. Not the Shaorin who was the rising singer, not the one who was a strong blader, but the Shaorin who was just happy to grow up with you, and the rest of the boys. I was wrong though, because when I returned, I just felt empty.

"I went to the Abbey to ask Boris of your whereabouts, and you know what he told me? He said that you had gone to Japan; to enter the world championships and that you'd forgotten me. And guess what? I believe him because you not being there was proof enough. I was hurt Kai, deeply hurt." Shaorin couldn't hold it any longer and felt tears spill down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them away, embarrassed with herself and her outburst. This wasn't her. She was always calm, collected and cheerful. Why was it that Kai brought out this side of her?

"I'm sorry Shaorin, I had no idea. What Boris told you is not true though," Kai apologized quietly. He may have been distant with people around him, but he didn't like hurting his friends, especially the one whom he'd shared a close bond with. He reached out towards her, but at the same time the ride stopped and the doors opened. Shaorin slipped away from his grasp and left, without a word, leaving a confused Kai in her wake.

Tears blurred her vision as she ran. Shaorin knew that her teammates would question her afterwards, but right now she just wanted to get away; away from everything. She ran blindly down the street, and finally stopped to hail a taxi.

Shaorin slid into the vehicle, and gave the driver an address. She gazed out the window as it passed houses and buildings. The driver soon drove to a halt and let her out, Shaorin paid him and told him to keep the change. She stood in front of a place she'd been avoiding for a long time; her house. It didn't feel like _home_ anymore and she refused to call it that. Ever since her mother passed away, the place just felt cold and lacked its previous familial warmth.

Her legs led her to a garden, full of blooming flowers and growing large trees. This was her favourite part of the house, where she was able to think and be by herself.

"M-Miss, you're back," one of the gardeners noticed.

"I want to be alone right now, Jim. Please let me stay here by myself," Shaorin requested. Jim nodded and left the garden.

She walked towards a very familiar place, stopping in front of an old oak tree. Looking up, she saw her old treehouse, the one her father had built when this place was still _home_. She climbed up, ignoring the raindrops from the impending storm. Settling against a wall, she sang to herself. Her voice cracked at first as she felt the emotions she'd been trying to suppress for such a long time, resurface.

"_In the still of the night, __I can almost feel you lying next to me like it used to be. And it's hard to let go when there's always something there reminding me how things could be._

"_I've tried to get you off my mind; I've tried to play my part. But every time I close my eyes, you're still inside my heart. I try to look the other way and keep my heart on hold. But every time I'm close to you, I lose my self-control._

"_Why can't I laugh? Why must I cry, every time we say good-bye? Why does it rain here in my heart, every day that we're apart? Why can't it be just you and me? What will it take to make you see? These are the words to my Heartbreak Lullaby." _

The last few words came out as a hoarse whisper as she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"Kai, where'd Shaorin run off to?" Rei asked frowning when he saw the captain standing alone.

"I don't know…she was…crying…" Kai shook his head, still shocked from the earlier events.

"Crying?" Naomi echoed.

"Did you see where she went?" Max asked, coming up behind them.

"No…she just ran off."

"Damnit, where could she have gone," Sandy murmured.

"I think I know where," Celina interrupted.

"You do?" they all asked.

"Of course, I'm not her best friend for nothing. You guys take your car and follow us three. I'll drive." She instructed. They nodded on agreement. The ride passed in mostly silence, the girls were worried for their teammate.

"Hey wait, isn't this the road back to Shao's house?" Naomi commented, recognizing the winding road towards the complex. Celina nodded.

"It's where she always goes when she's having trouble."

"That's why she ran here when her mother passed away," Sandy nodded in understanding. Kai, who had insisted on joining them because he wanted to know more about Shaorin, listened to their conversation.

"The tree…" he murmured. The three girls turned to him in confusion.

"Tree?" Sandy raised an eyebrow. Kai nodded.

"We planned to meet under the Willow tree outside the Abbey. It was a place she loved."

* * *

_"I'm gonna miss you, __Shao," a red headed boy with sparkling blue eyes hugged her._

_"Me too, Tala," Shaorin smiled._

_The re__st of the Demolition Boys waved; they would miss the one they looked as a sister, who was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to stand up to them when they'd first met. Tala and them retreated, leaving only Kai and her behind. Today was the day she would be leaving Russia and moving to Canada and soon she would be boarding the plane and leaving._

_"Take care," Kai smiled sl__ightly at her. Shaorin looked him in the eye and couldn't resist. She flung her arms around his shoulder pulling him into a tight hug._

_"I'm gonna miss you soooooo much!" she exclaimed._

_"__Don't be stupid, it's not forever, right?" he scolded lightly but hugged her back. Shaorin looked at him unsurely._

_"How about this, in three years we'll meet again under the climbing tree?" he suggested._

_"Promise?" Shaorin held out a pinky._

_"Promise." He nodded and linked her pinky with his own._

* * *

"Hmm…so that's was happened," Naomi thought aloud. Kai didn't answer but stared out the window instead. It was raining out and the sky was dark.

_'Rin…please be alright.'_

"Ms. Hiura, Ms. Wara, Ms. Inoshi? What are you doing here?" the maid asked when she answered the door.

"No time to explain Rosa. Where's Shao?" Sandy took charge.

"Oh my," Rosa peered out the door at the rainy weather, "Ms. Kimoto is still out in the garden, I completely forgot about her!"

* * *

END CHAPTER 4

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	5. Rescuing in the Rain

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 5: Rescuing in the Rain**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or the songs mentioned.

Notes: I'm dedicating this chapter to Ellen for reviewing my story! Thank You Ellen!

* * *

Before anyone could say another word, they were all outside looking for Shaorin.

Over there in the treehouse!" Kenny exclaimed pointing at the eerie glow that came from its windows.

"Shaorin!" Celina exclaimed, and saw that she was lying on the floor of the structure. There was a faint glow surrounding her, almost like magic. Rei climped up and reached over to check her temperature but was thrown back by and unknown force. He hissed when he hit the railing with his back.

"Holy! Rei, are you alright?" Celina gasped. Before they knew it, the light grew even stronger and engulfed the girl completely. They all shielded their eyes and when they opened them again, Shaorin was laying on a winged silhouette that looked suspiciously familiar.

"Liatora!" Sandy recognized the Bit Beast. The lion took one glance back before taking off into the cloudy sky.

"Come back!" Tyson shouted.

"We need to go after her!" Rei exclaimed.

"But how're we going to do that?" Max questioned.

"If Shaorin was able to call out Liatora like that, then maybe we can too," Kenny suggested.

"Ok, but we need someone who can also fly up after her," Naomi nodded. They all turned to Kai; his face held no emotion but his eyes gave it away. Rei gave him an assuring nod, sighing he took out his blade.

'_Dranzer…I need help.'_

'_Now this is new,_' the beast chuckled amusedly.

'_I'm serious, we need to get Shaorin back safely.'_

'_We or you?'_

Kai replied,_ '…All of us.'_

'_As you wish,' _Dranzer said, seemingly satisfied with his answer. The great fiery phoenix arose from the blade, and Kai climbed onto its back.

'_Hold on,'_ it warned.

'_They're up ahead.'_

'_I know, I see them.'_

'_She's going to get sick if you don't hurry.'_

'_Hush, I can't fly with you yapping at me,'_ Dranzer reprimanded and Kai grew quiet, though irritated with his bit beast.

They finally approached the lioness and she gave them a wary look, studying them carefully. She was responsible for her mistress just as her mistress is responsible for her. But the uncharacteristically earnest look that Kai had convinced her, and she neared them so that Kai could take Shaorin off her back. Once he did, she returned back to her blade. Kai pocketed it with relief and held her closely on the way down.

"Kai…she's alright," Rei sighed when the phoenix landed on the ground and returned to its dwelling. Kai did not speak, but instead carried her back into the house where Rosa had made her bed for her. He gently placed her down on the bed and told Rosa to change her out of the soaked clothes, leaving the room.

"She's running a high fever," Rosa said later, when she came back out. "I'll go get a cloth and a bowl of water." The rest all stepped into the room to check up on Shaorin.

"She's too stubborn sometimes," Naomi mused.

"Stubborn enough to stay out in the rain for so long, that's for sure," Max chuckled.

"Not to mention, she can sleep like a log," Sandy commented lightly.

Kenny laughed, "She's no better than Tyson, then."

"Hey!" Tyson mock frowned. They all laughed until Rosa came in and shushed them. Celina gave a knowing glance at Kai as if to say 'this is your chance' and ushered everyone out saying something about getting a bite to eat. They left Kai alone in the room.

Sighing, he sat down beside the sleeping figure and took her hand into his larger one. She was cold, like ice. That's what they were like, Fire and Ice.

"Shaorin," Kai whispered lowly and Shaorin seemed to tense slightly, Kai caressed her cheek softly and she relaxed. She mumbled something incoherent, then almost inaudibly whispered.

"Wo ai ni." Kai stared at her confusedly, not understanding what she had just mumbled. A slight smile played on her lips.

He wondered what she was dreaming about. Was he in it? He batted away the thought as soon as it came and Kai shook his head.

_'Will things ever be the same between us again? I missed hearing your laughter.__' _Kai glanced around the room and found it relatively empty. He wondered if she still lived here often. He spotted a book on top of her desk, open to a page filled with writing. Curious, he picked it up and began to read, before realizing what it was.

_Dear Diary,_

_Life just rea__lly gets you down sometimes, 'ya know? God…I feel so alone sometimes. I'm practically halfway around the world from Kai, and it's only been two years. I don't know if I can wait much longer. I feel like a schoolgirl waiting for her boyfriend. Well, waiting? Yes. But boyfriend? Nah. For these few years, I've looked forward my return to Russia, to the Abbey. I wonder what would happen if I arrived a few days earlier? I wonder if Kai and Tala has changed a lot. Do they have girlfriends? Hmm…hope not! _

_Rosa's calling for me to go to bed so I guess I'll have to write again later._

_-Shaorin Kimoto._

Kai smirked slightly realizing the goldmine he'd stumbled upon, and flipped to a later date. But he almost regretted it afterwards.

_Dear Diary,_

_I can't believe it…Tell me this just isn't true!__ I'm in Russia right now - back in my old house, in my old room. But I'm not feeling the way I thought I would've after coming back. Remember the promise Kai and I made? Well he fucking broke it. I went to the Abbey and waited for him, but no one came. When I asked Boris he just sneered and said that Kai had gone to Japan to train and wasn't going to return for me. Damn him…ugh. I didn't even see Tala either. Some friendship this is turning out to be. I feel so betrayed, waiting all this time only to find that I was let down._

_At least I have something to look forward to when I go home, back to Canada now, Celina invited me to join her team. That's it, I'll start over, new friends, new country… well sort of, new country. _

_-Shao._

Not going to return for her? What had Boris told her? They were going to have a long talk, even if he'd have to tie her down to a chair. Though hopefully he wouldn't have to…

His eyes began to become heavy and he placed the book back. Leaning against the soft and comfy chair, he soon drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in to the room the curtains. Shaorin rolled over and slid open her hazel eyes, adjusting to the light. She scanned the room, realizing she was in her bedroom. A soft snore emitted from next to her, visibly startling her. Surprised, she looked to see Kai sleeping soundly. His head was propped against his arms, which were crossed and resting on her bed.

"Kai?" she murmured softly, half from confusion and half from shock. She reached out and her hand came in contact with his skin, cold from the night air. Concerned, she took an extra comforter and draped it over his shoulder. She began to slide off the bed with extra caution, careful not to wake the blue haired boy. Just as she stepped off the bed, a hand shot out and caught her wrist, making her jump.

"Where do you think you're going?"

* * *

End Chapter 5

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	6. Just Listen!

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 6: Just Listen!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?" Kai held her wrist tightly when she struggled.

"Down to eat," Shaorin answered as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No you aren't. Sit, I'll tell Rosa to get you your breakfast," he commanded, pointed towards the bed.

She huffed indignantly at how she was being treated, "I'm not disabled Kai, I'm only…uh…what happened anyways?" She trailed off, realizing she had no recollection of the night before.

"Liatora took off flying with you and I had to come after with Dranzer, then you caught a cold and a high fever in the rain," Kai said. Shaorin gave him a look as if he'd just told her that pigs fly.

"Thanks?" she mumbled, looking at her feet awkwardly. She wasn't sure how to react to him saving her.

"Is she awake?" Rosa asked, opening the door and broke the tension.

"She needs something to eat. And we need to talk, so keep everyone away for a while," Kai instructed. Rosa nodded in understanding and closed the door.

Shaorin frowned, "What was that all about?"

"Like I said before, we need to talk," he tugged the arm he was holding.

She turned away stubbornly, muttering under her breath but Kai gripped her wrist harder and she winced.

"Look here Shaorin, you and I will be having a little talk, even if I have to bind you onto the bed," he hissed coldly. Shaorin winced slightly again at his tone of speaking. Was it odd that she was more used to a kinder Kai, rather than the cold one currently in front of her?

"Bite me," she retorted.

"Gladly," Kai smirked, mischief lurking in his cool gaze.

"You wouldn't dare," Shaorin narrowed her eyes even more.

"You should know me well enough to know what I WOULD do," his smirk stretching even wider.

"Hiwatari Kai," she warned when he lift her arm up towards his mouth.

_'Still the same'_ he mused silently when he caught the slight fear in her eyes.

"Kimoto Shaorin," he shot back in the same voice, before biting down on her arm. Shaorin's eyes widened and she squeaked in surprise. Quickly, she pulled her abused arm away from his hold.

"What the hell…" she growled, rubbing at the faint mark his teeth had made. He crossed his arms once more in satisfaction. Kai looked down at her tall frame towering over her petite one. "You prick."

"You're no walk in the park either." She threw him a glare, which he ignored. "Are, you willing to talk yet?" he asked with his tone level.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Shaorin gave in crossly.

"Why are you always so cold to me?" he questioned.

"Because I hate you," She grumbled, crawling to sit on her bed comfortably.

"Thanks," he rolled his eyes at her childishness, settling himself beside her.

"Shaorin-san, your breakfast is ready," Rosa called from outside the room.

"Come in, Rosa," Shaorin answered. The woman came in and placed her meal down before scurrying out again.

"Speak," she mumbled before placing a spoon of cereal into her mouth.

"You said you went to the Abbey to look for me right?" Kai continued and she nodded slowly, " What did Boris say that made you believe that I forgot you?"

"Well, all he told me was that you were in Japan and not about to return just to see me. Then I got your letter in the mail," she answered.

"Letter?" Kai frowned.

"Yes, the letter you wrote to me," Shaorin cocked her head to one side. She slid off the bed and pulled out a box from under her bed, and took out a well kept letter,

"Here, although I'm sure you already know what's in there."

Kai quickly scanned the letter before letting out a bitter chuckle.

"I didn't write this," he shook his head.

"You didn't? But it has your name," Shaorin looked puzzled.

"Yes that's true, but it's also typed and mailed directly to your home address which I never found out," he pointed out.

"What?" Shaorin took the letter and read it, "Oh God…I'm so stupid." She groaned and fell back onto her bed. Kai was right; she'd just assumed it was from him, at the time it made sense.

"All these years…I've been crying over nothing…I can't believe it," she moaned, burying her head into her soft pillow.

"You worry over nothing," Kai spoke.

"What do you mean nothing, I've been bitching off at you ever since you came," her voice muffled by the pillow.

"But I do have to take my part of the blame," he answered.

"As in?" Shaorin turned around.

"If I'd actually been there that day, none of this would've happened," Kai shrugged.

"That's true," Shaorin grinned slightly.

"What're you smiling at, little girl," Kai slid his hand under her chin and pulled her towards him.

"Oh nothing…" she smiled even more. Kai frowned.

"Rin…" he began.

"I'm sorry," Shaorin interrupted him. Unexpectedly, she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Rin…"

"Mhmm?" she mumbled, not bothering to look up.

"Don't be," he curled his fingers into her auburn hair, holding her closer. They stayed like that until Kai felt something wet on his shirt.

"Shaorin?" he turned her head to face him and saw tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"I'm such a fool."

"No you're not; you're just somewhat…dense." Shaorin giggled lightly, something Kai hadn't heard in a while.

"Right…" she smiled, "Coffee?" she held up a mug of still hot coffee in his face. Smirking, Kai took the mug and gulped it down, who could blame him, he hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.

"Oh my god, that was so sweet!" Celina gushed; they had been shamelessly spying on their two friends.

"I'm just glad that Shaorin's happy again," Sandy grinned.

"But there's one thing that still confuses me," Kenny said, "How come Liatora had come out without her mistress's consent?"

"Well, I'm guessing it's because ever since she'd gotten her bit beast, Shaorin had been especially close to Liatora. Shaorin always keeps it safe, so this was her turn to protect her mistress," Naomi shrugged.

"Come on guys, let's go back down and give them some privacy," Rei smirked.

"Are there any beydishes here?" Tyson asked.

"Of course," Naomi grinned and led them down to a room that Shaorin used to train in.

"Wicked," Max gaped at the many different types of dishes.

"Anyone up for a battle?" Sandy suggested.

"I'll battle you," Rei volunteered while they walked away.

"You know, when we finish the Canadian Tournament, we'll be heading off to Russia," Kai spoke, from behind Shaorin, who was staring after her friends, dumbfounded.

"Really?" she exclaimed with a glitter of excitement in her eyes. Kai nodded.

"Then I'll be able to see Tala and the others again!" she grinned happily, disappearing into the bathroom to change.

"Yes…," Kai trailed off.

"Something the matter?" Shaorin asked when she stepped back out.

"No, it's just that I haven't really seen them either." Kai shook his head. He noticed she was wearing the outfit she'd bought earlier, and she blushed at his lingering gaze.

"I'm still hungry," she murmured, embarrassed.

"Let's go then," he nodded, and caught her hand in his, leading her out of the house after stopping to tell the rest of their friends where they were going.

"Well, things seemed to have gone well for them," Tyson teased after they left.

"You're lucky Kai isn't here," Kenny informed.

* * *

The two spent their afternoon wandering aimlessly, content to be in each other's company for the first time in a long time. Shaorin felt an unfamiliar fluttering in her stomach every time their hands brushed. Her fingers twitched slightly, wandering what it'd feel like to hold his hand, as if they were on a date. But she shook the thought out of her head - she'd just become friends with him again.

"Are you ready to go back?" Kai asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Nah…I want to walk some more," Shaorin shook her head.

They found themselves walking by a playground, their quietness suddenly invaded by the squeals and laughter of children.

"Look at them, I remember loving the swings," Shaorin smiled, glancing towards a child who was swinging higher and higher with every pump of his little legs.

"I'm pretty sure you still do," Kai rolled his eyes and Shaorin grinned childishly.

"Tag, you're it!" she exclaimed, tapping him and then running off into the far side of the park.

"Rin!" Kai frowned, taking off after her.

"You can't catch me!" she taunted, sticking out her tongue.

"I don't think so," he smirked and gained on her. Shaorin squealed and ran even faster, ducking behind trees. At one point Kai lost sight of her and wandered into the woods nearby. He kept on walking until… WHACK… a branch of a tree hit him on the head. Rubbing the back of his head, he heard faint giggling.

"Come out if you know what's good for you," he growled, and then noticed a pair of legs dangling from a tree to his right.

He made sure she couldn't here him approach before grabbing onto her legs.

"Ack!" Shaorin exclaimed losing balance and fell. "Ouch…" she groaned.

"Are you alright?" Kai asked, concerned. He hadn't quite expected her to fall and land on her rear like that.

"They're only bruises…" she attempted to get up, but was pushed pack down by a pair of strong hands. She looked up and saw Kai facing his back towards her, kneeling down.

A small smile found its way to her lips, "Is this your way of apologizing, Mr. Hiwatari?"

"Just get on," he muttered. Hesitantly, she climbed onto his back and let him take her back, but instead of going back to Shaorin's home they went to the hotel.

"You'll be fine," Kai declared as he finished cleaning the cuts on her hands and legs.

"Thanks," Shaorin smiled gratefully. "I'll remember not to climb any trees while you're around from now on."

"I didn't expect your balance to be that poor," Kai crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. They were alone in Shaorin's room.

"Normal people don't expect to be yanked from trees," Shaorin grinned impishly, walking up to him.

Kai smirked, "Maybe you just need more training."

"Are you offering me private lessons?" she teased.

"Hn…" Kai said nothing, her intoxicating scent penetrating his senses. His eyes closed when the scent of vanilla came closer. Damn…all these things going on all at once were getting him all mixed up. He could hardly tell left from right now. When he opened his eyes, all he could focus on was the playful smile on her lips.

"Are you?" Shaorin asked again, her face now barely an inch apart from his. Without a warning, he lowered his head and captured her lips into a soft kiss.

"Kai?" she pulled back confused, her face held puzzlement.

"I'm sorry," lowered his head so that his eyes were hidden from view.

* * *

END CHAPTER 6

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	7. Confusion

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 7: Confusion**

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade!

* * *

_**I'm sorry**__…_

The words haunted Shaorin, making her shiver. Just hours ago, she was having the time of her life with Kai around town. Now, she lay on her bed in her hotel room…alone. She couldn't understand what had gone wrong.

_"I'm sorry," he lowered his head so that his eyes were hidden from view._

_"What?" Shaorin was still confused by his sudden actions._

_"I…shouldn't have done that," he mumbled and left her in the room by herself._

_"Kai…" she whispered into the now empty room. She fell onto the bed, once again lost and confused. And here she thought that something was finally going right between them. _

She picked up herself reluctantly from the bad and left the hotel. Shaorin wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from the cold breeze that blew. She longed to back in the arms of Kai where she actually felt safe. But she also knew that if they didn't win the tournament, she wouldn't even have a reason to see him if he avoided her. Shaorin missed the old days, where she would spend day after day with her best friends, Tala and Kai. She wanted to turn time back to a few years before, so that she could spend time again with Celina, Sandy and Naomi.

Anywhere and anytime would be fine to her right now, because she just wanted to be anywhere but here.

She just wished this would all end…soon. She didn't even understand what had happened back at the hotel. Everything had gone by with a flurry. Shaorin stared off into the distance where she spotted a Nursing Home, one where she had once visited regularly to visit some of the elderly people there. It'd started off as a PR stunt by her manager, but she grew to love the people there.

"Shaorin-san, how good to see you," the receptionist smiled seeing the young girl walk through the doors, "Miss Gillespie has been waiting for you to return."

"Oh, I was sort of tied up the last few weeks, sorry," Shaorin shook her head, waved and headed upstairs.

"Gina, how've you been?" Shaorin grinned when she entered a crème coloured room filled with white furniture.

"Ah…Shaorin dear, what brings you here," Gina Gillespie greeted.

"I've got a lot on my mind, so I thought I'd come over for a visit," she answered.

"Oh? How about telling me about your troubles," Gina beckoned the girl to sit. Gina had always been a grandmother figure to Shaorin. She had been there on a charity project and easily bonded with the elderly woman.

"Well, you see…" Shaorin retold the last few weeks' events.

"I see…tell me dear, do you have any feelings for this boy named Kai," Gina asked seriously.

"I…I honestly don't know," Shaorin shook her head in defeat.

Gina didn't give up, but only smiled at her warmly, "Then how do you feel when you're near him?"

"Happy…and relieved, to have found him again I guess."

"Is there any love in your heart for him?"

"Love…I don't know. All I know right now that it feels like something's missing in me!" Shaorin sighed in exasperation. This was getting her nowhere…at least that's what she thought.

"Shaorin answer me truthfully, do you love him?"

Shaorin bit her lip, thoughts racing. _'Do I love this guy in my life? Do I love Kai? Can I live a life without him? I'm confused…mixed up. Does he love ME?_

_But how could that be possible anymore. From what Rei's told me…after I'd left the Abbey, he was taught to rid himself of all emotions and feelings. Taught to be cold and ruthless, told that emotions were weak. Especially Love. But if so, why did he kiss me…isn't that a sign of love? Is Kai capable of feeling love? Will his cold exterior ever break down? But after all, he had spent the whole day…with me. There was something in his eyes…that I left unidentified. Could it have been love?'_

All those unanswered questions left her with one though - _denial_**. **She didn't want to believe that it was true, or she was too afraid to. Either way, she couldn't help the next words that escaped her mouth.

"**I love him**."

Gina smiled, relieved when she heard the words.

"I love him," Shaorin repeated more firmly, "But I don't know if he loves me for sure."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go after the boy," Gina chuckled heartily. A slight grin appeared on Shaorin's face, before she stood up and waved to the woman, leaving. Gina smiled after her, wishing her luck.

* * *

"Once again, we've lost Shaorin," Sandy cried out in exasperation. They were in the training room of the hotel, waiting for their last member. Even Kai was there, and worried about the younger girl.

"Why's she ALWAYS disappearing on us?" Tyson sighed.

"Well for one she usually gets easily side-tracked," Naomi pointed out.

"You didn't have to tell them that did you, Naomi?" Shaorin laughed as she slipped through the doors.

"What took you so long?" Kai snapped but carefully avoiding her gaze.

"A group of fans were crowded around the entrance of the hotel," she lied still with a smile plastered on her face. But inside, she was hurt. Her confidence diminished a little from his attitude.

"Now that you're here, we should get started," Kenny stated. Shaorin nodded.

"Alright, I'll start!" Sandy volunteered.

"I'll go against you," Max grinned, "But don't expect me to go easy on you."

"Hah, whatever," Sandy readied her blade.

"And LET 'ER RIP!" Tyson shouted. Both blades had a strong launch and landed in the dish, immediately circling one another.

"Cheetora, let's make this quick!" Sandy commanded. Her blood red blade attacked head on.

"Draciel, keep up the defense," Max held his ground. Sandy was beginning to get annoyed at the fact that the battle wasn't getting anywhere.

"It's time, Chee!" she summoned. A great crimson cheetah appeared in front of their eyes. It roared, before charging towards Draciel.

"Hold on, Buddy," Max clenched his fists in nervousness. The shield his blade held strengthened, and when the two blades made contact Cheetora was sent flying. Picking it up, Sandy smiled slightly.

"Good game," she held out a hand. Grinning, Max took it.

"Who's next?" Kenny inquired.

"Naomi, you want to go?" Shaorin smiled.

"My pleasure," she winked. Naomi took her place across from Rei and both had their blades ready.

"LET 'ER RIP!" Tyson shouted again. Once again both blades were launched.

"Come on Drigger, you can do it!" cheered Rei.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but this won't be a battle you'll win," Naomi smirked mischievously. With a determined look, Rei commanded Drigger to use Tiger Claw. But as soon as he neared Naomi's sky blue blade it disappeared.

"What?" Rei frowned at his discovery. Naomi's blade appeared on the other side of the dish and when Drigger attacked again it disappeared like before.

"Concentrate Rei, don't let her blade fool you," Kai growled. Nodding to his captain, Rei took a deep breath and tried to read Naomi's blade's movement.

"Now Drigger, attack!" he finally said. Drigger rammed into the blue beyblade but it stayed put.

"I see you've figured out my little trick, ne Rei? But that's not all I've got," Naomi stated calmly, "Leodora now." A fierce blue leopard appeared in the air and charged towards Drigger. Drigger was immediately thrown back and sailed out of the dish still spinning.

"See, I stay true to my words," Naomi joked. Rei cracked a grin along with her.

"Hey, anyone up for some dinner?" Tyson exclaimed when his stomach began to growl, causing everyone to laugh.

"Alright," Celina sighed ushering them out.

"Um…I think I'll stay for a bit and train," Shaorin smiled. Celina nodded.

"Kai, you can help her train since she hasn't had much training for a while," Sandy shouted behind her before taking off after Tyson.

'Just my luck,' Shaorin groaned inwardly.

* * *

End Chapter 7

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	8. Again

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 8: Again**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

'Just my luck,' Shaorin groaned inwardly. She stole a glance at Kai who was staring off into space, ignoring her.

"Okay, let's get this over and done with," she mumbled and readied her own metallic coloured blade. Kai did the same.

/Let it Rip! /

"Dranzer, show no mercy!" he growled. Immediately after the launch Dranzer charged at Liatora. Shaorin cringed slightly at the impact made, but held her ground steadily.

"Liatora now! Cold Disarray!" Shaorin shouted as a tornado of icy coldness surrounded both blades. Shaorin felt small debris of ice pierce her skin, but paid no attention to it. On the other side, Kai also felt the same thing but it was pain he could handle. Shaorin had never perfected this attack before and it was one of Liatora's strongest. She soon felt the pain from the cuts and her legs gave out from under her, resulting in her collapse.

At the same time, Liatora began to slow down and also stopped. And then the storm finally died down, and Kai found Shaorin lying on the ground. Cursing softly, her rushed to her side and lifted her up bridal style.

* * *

"Oh my Goodness, what did you do to her, Kai?" Celina whispered harshly when she saw Shaorin in bed.

"It was her fault for using an untrained attack as strong as that," he retorted, not in the mood to deal with her accusations.

Rei stepped in between them, "Stop arguing, you two. You'll wake her up."

"Shaorin's alright, she's just got a few cuts," Naomi assured.

"Come on let's give her some time to rest up," Max suggested.

"And have dinner too! We still haven't eaten yet!" Tyson grinned.

They all began piling out the room but Kai still stood there.

"C'mon Kai, aren't you coming to eat with us?" Tyson asked.

"Not hungry."

"Alright then, suit yourself." And with that, Tyson left. Kai stared at Shaorin's unconscious form, emotions simultaneously mixed within him.

_'Stupid Shaorin always making me this way…'_ he thought, almost bitterly_. 'Will you ever learn not to get into trouble?' _He took her hand in his own, holding it to his cheek. He closed his eyes, taking in her scent.

"Please let go of me," an airy voice whispered. Immediately, his eyes shot open. Kai had been too absorbed in thought that he hadn't notice Shaorin wake up.

"You hate me again don't you?" he stated dryly. Shaorin looked away from him.

"Look at me Rin." Still, there was no answer from her.

"Shaorin…"

"I don't."

"Then why do you seem angry to me?" he growled slightly annoyed at her stubborn behaviour.

"How do you expect me to be calm? After what you did…" she trailed off.

"I…"

"That one kiss meant a lot to me. Not only was it my first, it also made me realize my feelings for you." There, she had said it. Kai was taken back at her answer.

"And I'm scared…scared that you're going to leave me again. You left me once, so why not again?"

"I won't leave Shaorin."

"How do you know, Kai? Rei told me about all your training at the Abbey after I left. Voltaire had drained the emotions from you." A soft chuckle escaped from Kai's lips.

"What? Now you mock me, eh?" Shaorin snarled, and turned away. Kai climbed onto the bed behind her.

"Do you believe everything Rei says?" he hugged her from behind.

"N-no," she hesitated.

"Then why did you believe what he told you?"

"Because apparently, you've never told me much about your past after I left," she huffed.

"Don't you think I would if I had the chance," he nuzzled her neck, making her tense.

"Stop," she choked. Kai ignored her plead and continued, trailing feather light kisses on her neck. A soft whimper escaped from her.

"Please," she squeaked. Kai frowned slightly but ceased his actions.

"What's wrong?" he whispered in her ear.

"I've never done this, everything's just going to fast for me," she mumbled, bringing her knees close to her.

"Fine, if that's the way you want things," Kai nodded and rested his head on her shoulder.

"We left you two in here so that Shaorin could rest, not so that you two could make out." Surprised, they pulled apart and turned to the door where Tyson stood and was now being smacked on the head by Celina. Blushing, Shaorin opened her mouth to throw a remark at him.

"Shut up, Tyson. This is none of your business," Kai spoke. Shaorin blushed even harder at his last comment. Kai glanced at her and smirked at the heavy blush. He decided to have a little fun.

"Fine, but don't do anything **I** wouldn't do," Tyson laughed, closing the door behind him. You could've easily imagined the many shades of red Shaorin was turning.

"Remind me to lock the door next time," Kai whispered lowly in a teasing tone, smirking even wider at the deep shade of red she had turned. He placed his arms back around her waist and leaned back against the headboard. But Shaorin twisted around, trying to get away.

"You big pervert!" she exclaimed, facing him. She pushed him to move away but he caught her deftly.

"Let go!" she struggled to release his iron grip on her wrist.

"Why should I?" he looked her straight in the eye.

"You didn't hear a word I had said before did you?" she retorted.

"I did, but I'm also your boyfriend now," Kai loosened his grip a bit, "The teasing comes with the territory." Shaorin gawked at him, shocked from what he'd just admitted. She wanted badly to jump into his arms, but at the same time, she was annoyed with his attitude.

Shaorin grimaced, "You make a horrible boyfriend."

"Do I?" Kai mused, an amused lilt to his voice. He brought pulled her closer to his body, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You'll just have to learn to live with it."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she smiled, melting into his embrace. She wished the moment wouldn't end, she wanted to stay there, securely in his arms.

* * *

End Chapter 8

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	9. Changes Hurt

**Love and Betrayal**

**Chapter 9: Changes Hurt**

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade

* * *

The two teams met after practice the next day, debating what to do next. All the practice and anticipation for the upcoming tournament was making everyone restless, and no one seemed to be able to sit still. Shaorin returned after a quick shower and found them sprawled out in the Blade Breaker's suite, watching TV.

Rei smirked when she perched on the armrest beside him. "Meeting someone special?" He glanced at her evidently she'd put a lot more thought into her outfit today. Her cheeks were tinted pink.

"No," she shook her head and moved herself onto the couch next to him. Although, she did think of a certain someone while she stared into her closet just now. But only a little.

"Come on Shao, we're going for pizza," he nudged the younger girl to her feet.

"Mmm, pizza," she grinned.

Tyson called over his shoulder. "Pick up the pace, Shaorin."

"Sure…" she continued her steady pace.

"I said to hurry it up," Tyson went behind her and began pushing her out the door.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Would you rather this, or have Kai carry you over his shoulder?"

"Hn, I'd like to see him try," Shaorin crossed her arms stubbornly. Tyson glanced at his Captain waiting for another one of his sarcastic comments.

"Hellooo! Kai, didn't you hear her just totally dis you?" Tyson pointed to Shaorin.

"Whatever, like I care what she says," Kai continued on. Frowning, Shaorin crossed her arms.

"What's **that** supposed to mean, Sharky?" Rei grinned at Shaorin's choice of nickname. Kai's crimson orbs narrowed.

"Three words, **I don't care**."

"Uh huh…right," Shaorin nodded.

"Children, I'm glad we caught you in time," a new voice called to them. They all turned to see Mr. Dickenson accompanied by Tyson's dad and grandfather as well as a man the Blade Breakers did not recognise.

"Dad? Grampa? What are you doing here?" Tyson gaped.

"Daddy!" Shaorin exclaimed, flinging her arms around the last man. He had the same hazel eyes as Shaorin and auburn hair.

"How's my girl doing?" Mr. Kimoto chuckled, returning the embrace.

Mr. Dickenson smiled, "Ah Kenji, I see you've found your daughter."

"We wouldn't miss the Canadian Tournaments for anything," Tyson's dad, Bruce (AN: What's his real name?) said.

"Hi Mr. Kimoto," the rest of the Rebel Bladers chorused.

"Hello, girls." He glanced around the two groups before breaking into a smile.

"Rei Kon, I haven't seen your family since the family reunion 3 years ago," Kenji patted his nephew's shoulder. He then spotted the two toned blunette,

"Kai, my boy, is that you?" Kai promptly nodded.

"You have certainly grown, I believe we haven't crossed paths since we moved here," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"No we haven't."

"Hmm…I believe we haven't met," Mr. Kimoto looked at Kenny, Max and Tyson.

"The boy in the hat would be my son, Tyson. The blonde is Max and the one with glasses is Kenny or the Chief as they call him," Bruce answered for them.

"Pleasure to meet you," Kenji nodded and turned towards his daughter. "So how's life been treating you, Rin?"

"Fair," she decided, "I've missed you! Why didn't you tell me you were going to be back early from your business trip?"

"Then otherwise, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it."

"But still, it has been what…3 weeks?" Shaorin made a face.

"Hey Shaorin, do you want to do some catching up with your dad? We'll bring you some takeout if you like," Max offered, he knew the feeling of seeing a parent after a long period of time. Shaorin glanced up at her dad.

"Go ahead," he pushed her forward gently, "Have fun, I'm having lunch with Stanley, Bruce and his father anyways." Nodding, Shaorin caught up to her comrades.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine with the others," Bruce assured.

"That's right, mah man," Grampa slapped his back.

"You don't see your father much either, do you?" Tyson asked out of the blue during the car ride.

"Nope, he works a lot. But I see him at least once every month, it's like a pact we made," Shaorin sighed.

"I don't see my mom much either," Max added.

"My parents are divorced, but I live with my mother," Sandy shrugged. Shaorin glanced at Kai for a moment; she knew that his parents had died when she was about 7 so he was 8. They had been killed by a drunk driver. That was one of the reasons he hated those who drunk and drove.

She could still remember his face the moment he had received the news. His expression was paler than usual, his crimson eyes bloodshot and wide open. From that day on, she had felt a change in him. As if something inside was switched, as if there was now an invisible barrier between him and the rest of the world. The only ones who were able to get through to him were Tala and herself.

Whenever they brought up the subject of _family_ she could feel him cringe slightly beside her, though his expression never changed. He had been silent for a week after his parent's death, and Shaorin had been afraid that he had gone mute altogether. It took him a while to accept the fact that they were gone but as mentioned before, he was never really the same person after…

Tala had pretty much the same past as Kai, except that his parents had died around when he was 5. He was sent to live with a distant aunt who then sent him to the Abbey. He too never had the feeling of a loving family for a long time. But he was too young to remember, so all he wants to do right now is escape from Voltaire's grasp. But that was highly unlikely unless he escapes, because it would be difficult to contact his aunt and bring him out.

"Shaoriin," a voice called her from her thoughts.

"We're here, come on," Celina pulled her away from the car. Shaorin squeaked as she stumbled slightly.

"Celina slow down! I'm being half dragged," Shaorin groaned. She stopped short, sending the rest of the BladeBreakers and RebelBladers to a fall on top of each other.

"Get off of me," Kai gritted his teeth, he just so happened to be at the bottom of the pile. They all scrambled to get off, giving Kai the chance to actually breathe.

"Sorry!" Celina waved her hands in defence, "It was a pure accident."

"Ouch, if any of us have broken bones, we'll know who to call at least," Rei grinned.

"What's the hurry anyways?" Max rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey, Tyson's not always the one whose hungry you know." They laughed.

"Come on," Shaorin rolled her eyes and lead the way into the pizza parlour.

It was a cozy little place, with tables lined up by the windows and in the middle of the room. Each was covered with a red and white checker tablecloth. They chose two tables by the windows and split themselves up.

Shaorin slid into the seat beside Celina across from Kai. He noticed her playful expression and eyed her with a suspicious glint in his eyes. Smiling slyly, she crossed her legs under the table and swung them a bit so that they brushed Kai. _Perfect_ she thought. Keeping an innocent expression, she trailed her foot up his leg. She easily noticed his eyes darken across from her, giving her a warning look. She smiled and tilted her head to one side as if saying 'what?' He tried to ignore her and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Kai, what do you want to eat?" Rei broke his concentration.

"I don't really care." Shaorin heard the irritation in his voice and hid a smile. He really shouldn't tease her.

Lunch passed by quickly, and soon they met up again with the adults.

"So, how're things with the championships and such?" Kenji asked his daughter.

"It's going fine," Shaorin nodded.

"School?"

"I'm doing pretty well, the tutoring is really paying off," she grinned.

"Having any problems with your music recordings?"

"No dad, I'm okay." She chuckled.

"Shaorin I-…We need to talk, I've got something to tell you," Kenji finally sighed. Confused, she nodded and sat down with him on the couch.

"Look Shaorin how long has it been since your mother passed away? 3 years?" Shaorin nodded, "I thought a bit in the past…and-…and I feel that we should move on too."

"I don't understand dad…"

"I met this woman in England…and she's really nice. I started dating her for a couple of months, and now I think I'm ready to ask her. But I don't want to do this on my own Shaorin…I want to know if you're okay with this." Shaorin stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. Words were a loss to her. _No I'm not ready to move on!_ She wanted to scream. No other woman was going to take her mother's place!

"Dad…how could you…" was all she could choke out. Her head was held low, her hair covered her face as a small tear rolled down her cheeks, "**You can't just forget mom like that!**" she was upset and angry at her father for doing to this to both her and her mother.

"Honey, don't you understand? I can't be living the rest of my life in the memory of your mother's death. I still love her and you the same, but it's time to move on. I've found someone that makes me happy, and I think your mother would've wanted us to move on too. Shaorin-"

"No Dad…**YOU'RE **the one who doesn't understand! I'm not ready to move on! I don't WANT to move on!" She burst into tears and ran out of the room, out of the building.

"Mr. Kimoto…?" Tyson watched as the young girl ran off.

"Uncle…what happened?" Rei asked. Sighing, Kenji Kimoto shook his head saying, "Someone should go follow her…I don't think she wants to see me yet."

"Uh…Kai why don't you go? You probably know her better than I do," Rei nodded towards the door. His eyes narrowed.

"Fine." He muttered gruffly, taking an umbrella with him. He had a faint idea of were she might be, and followed his instincts. Before long, he was at the park again, and spotted a figure seated on the swingset. She was drenched from head to toe, and he grimaced, thinking she'd be bedridden again.

"Rin…what's wrong?" he shifted to kneel beside her, the umbrella covering them both.

_It's cold…_she thought to herself. _Why didn't I bring an umbrella...Dad just doesn't understand…he's not even with me often. I don't want a new mother…I don't want some stranger replacing her. I only have one mother and she is Misao Kimoto. This is all just going too fast for me. _She let the rain cover her and watched as the droplets slid down from a strand of hair. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip…_Hm? Where did the rain go?_

Looking up she heard a deep familiar voice.

"Rin…what's wrong?" Crimson eyes bore into her hazel ones. The owner's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "What happened to you Shaorin? You used to be so cheerful. You always kept yourself from crying. Where's the Shaorin I know?"

"She died a long time ago…ever since the move…ever since my mother's death…ever since I went to find you in the Abbey." Shaorin muttered, deathly calm.

Kai was frustrated with her - she was so hard to understand. One moment she was on cloud nine and the next, she'd be depressed. "Stop it."

"This is only reality."

"Well you don't have to believe in this 'reality'."

"Stop being such an optimist, it isn't you."

"Then you stop being a pessimist!"

"I'm not being a friggen pessimist, I'm being realistic!"

**SLAP**

Slightly shocked, Shaorin reached her hand up and tentatively touched the red hand mark on her cheek. Wincing, she clenched her fist in pain but found herself feeling unusually calm. Kai held her gaze unwaveringly.

"Wake up, Rin…" he said, but his heart felt heavy at the mark he'd left. His hand fell down to his side, reddened a little from the slap. He had not intended for this to go so far. Kai could hear a slight hiss of pain coming from the smaller girl.

But a moment later, a dry smile crossed her smile, "Thanks, you're right, I was being selfish."

"I wouldn't slap you without a reason," he answered, and softly caressed her cheek.

"I know, I get it. Don't you ever get tired of being right though?"

"Don't you get tired of getting into trouble?"

"Touche…" she smiled and leaned against him, wet clothes and all.

* * *

**End Chapter 9**

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	10. Fun and Feuds

One Life One Love

Chapter 10: Fun and Feuds

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade

* * *

'_We really need to find something productive to do,' _Shaorin thought to herself. They were stuck in that awkward time of day again when no one wanted to do anything, but there was still an air of unrest in the room. She was sprawled over the couch common area of the Blade Breakers' suite, their designated lounging area now. Reaching over for the remote, she flicked through channels.

"Hey! Hey! I'm getting dizzy over here!" Tyson protested, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh whoops, sorry Ty," she had completely forgotten that he was there. She continued to switch channels but at a slower speed.

"Ugh…I'm BOR-ED!" groaning in frustration, she rolled off the couch.

"Oi Shao! You up for some basketball?" Sandy asked, holding up the orange ball.

"Meh…beats sitting around," Shaorin shrugged, striding to her room to change.

"Come on, boys versus girls!" Naomi declared when they reached the outdoor courts. They had managed to round the boys and convince them to come.

"No thanks for me. I prefer to work on my laptop. But I'll keep score for you guys," Kenny shook his head, taking a seat on the grass. They were at a basketball court behind the hotel.

"Lady's first," Rei grinned, passing the ball at Sandy.

"You sure about that?" Shaorin winked. She didn't excel at the game herself, but she knew for a fact that Naomi and Sandy loved it.

The ball was passed to Naomi who dribbled it expertly, keeping it away from Max. Without hesitance, she passed it to Celina, careful to keep it out of Tyson's reach. Then it was given to Shaorin who caught it reflexively. She was open a second ago but when she looked again she was blocked by Kai.

"Excuse me!" she exclaimed with mock politeness and ducked out of his reach, throwing the ball into the net.

"Not bad," Max chuckled retrieving the ball.

"Our turn!" Tyson smirked. He received the ball and threw it over Sandy and Celina's head to Rei.

"Oh no you don't!" Rei chuckled when Celina tried to steal it from him. Sandy received it from her and dribbled over to the BladeBreaker's net, scoring a 2 pointer. Shaking his head, Rei took the ball. This was going to be a long match…

Half an hour into the game and they were soon tiring. The score was close 34 to 36 for the BladeBreakers. And the sun was beating down on them mercilessly.

Reluctantly, the boys took off their shirts because of the immense heat. Sandy whistled jokingly. Shaorin blushed.

"Let's go people," Naomi ordered. And once again they began their game of basketball. Rei was a great player with his feline reflexes. Max had played numerous of times during his stays in America with the All-Stars. Tyson was pretty good too; his training with his grandpa had really paid off. Kai…well being Kai he excelled at the game though he had only played a few times. He managed to block most of the passes given to the other team and scored many points too.

"I'm exhausted…" Shaorin muttered tiredly. She collapsed onto the grass beside Celina fanning herself off. Eyes half lidded, she glanced over to the boys who poured bottles of water over their heads in attempt to cool down. In Shaorin's opinion, they all looked goofy with their hair half plastered to their faces. Their shirts were on again so that was drenched too.

Kai caught her gaze and gave her a small suggestive smirk, and she smiled weakly at him in return. It sent butterflies into her stomach, and she felt herself blush again. Seriously, she had no clue how the guy's mind worked. He didn't say much at times which didn't help give a clue about what he wanted.

* * *

"Aaaah," Shaorin sighed, staring up into the dark night sky. She gazed at the stars almost wanting to reach up and touch one. She lay on her back on the roof of the hotel.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" a voice came from behind her. Shaorin propped up on her elbows and turned to see Rei. He strode over and sat down.

"Mm…yah," she agreed. They sat in silence just admiring the view.

"You know…"Shaorin broke the silence, "Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to try to catch a star and hold it in my hands. That's why I always loved to nag you to bring me camping on the mountains during my visit to the village."

Rei laughed, "Right, and then you sang that song about catching a star and putting it in your pocket or something like that."

"Oh that…" She quietly hummed the tune of her childhood song.

"Hn," she laughed, "I was such a weird kid…actually I still am."

"I hope it's not the genes from my side of the family," Rei mused.

"Right…anyways, I think I'm going to turn in for the night now," Shaorin stifled a yawn.

"Sure, I'll go too then," Rei nodded following her back down the stairs.

A figure stood in the shadows hidden from the pair's views. His lips curled into a malicious smile.

* * *

"Ugh…I can't remember the last time I was worked so hard…" Celina moaned, collapsing onto the green grass at the back of the hotel.

"I agree…" Max joined her.

"Kai and Sandy have gone crazy with this training schedule," commented Rei.

"If they keep this out, even the bit beasts will be too tired for the real tournament!" Kenny shook his head.

They all complained about the harsh and strict training they were going through except Shaorin and obviously Kai and Sandy. Shaorin sat to the side not saying a word. Her lips were set in a grim line, glaring up at the two team captains who were continuing planning for the tournament in two days.

"Whoa…what's up with her?" Tyson pointed towards the fuming girl.

"Eh…Kai pulled her out of bed at 6 this morning; she's probably still pissed about it." Celina shook her head.

"Knowing Shaorin, she's going to bore a hole in the back of Kai's head by the end of the day," Naomi sighed.

"Poor guy," Celina sympathized.

"Why can't I do that when he takes away my food?" Tyson wondered.

Kai looked up from his planning to the teams sitting on the lawn.

"Get up you bunch of whiners, there's more to come," he smirked. They groaned in protest except for Shaorin, who got up and headed towards the door to the building.

"Where do you think you're going, Rin?" he stopped her.

She turned to face him, "Taking a piss, do you need to accompany me or something?" she answered sarcastically. Without waiting for a response, she continued on her way. Kai arched an eyebrow at her sudden attitude.

"Ouch…I'd hate to be you at the moment," Tyson winced.

"Whatever, forget about her and continue with your training," he ordered.

"Control-freak," Naomi muttered under her breath. Kai ignored the comment.

An hour passed, and still Shaorin didn't return.

'_Where is that girl?_' Kai thought to himself.

"Hey, hasn't Shao been gone for a while now?" Max asked.

"Yah…did she fall into the toilet?" Tyson joked. Naomi smacked him on the head, "Hey, hey, I was just kidding!"

"Maybe we should go check on her," Kenny suggested.

"I'll go," Celina volunteered.

"No, you guys stay and train, I'll go look for her." Kai said, and walked to the door.

He walked through the swimming pool area, across the gym, up the stairs and down the hall to where their rooms were.

"Shaorin, you in there?" he knocked on her bedroom door. There was no answer. He pushed open the door, and saw her sprawled across her bed, reading a tattered copy of her favourite novel. He growled in anger and stood crossly in front of the bed. She made no move to acknowledge his presence, and kept reading.

"Hn…" Kai grunted, "Ignoring me won't work, Shaorin."

Letting out a sigh, she got put down the book and got up. But did not even glance at the pissed off boy in her room. Instead of walking up to Kai, she walked pass him and sat down on the couch where the TV was and turned it on. Kai let slip another growl and took the remote from her, turning the thing off.

"What is your problem, woman?" he eyed her heatedly. She turned away from his gaze and only muttered a small 'You.' Kai ran a hand through his slate hair in frustration; he knew how temperamental Shaorin was at times.

"What is it **this** time?" he muttered.

Her hazel eyes looked at him coolly, "I'm tired, cranky and I'm pissed off. Unlike you, I actually need to sleep. What's the use of waking us all up at the crack of dawn? Without rest, we'll only tire easily. Anyways, you have the whole today AND tomorrow to work our butts off!" She fumed slightly at the end of her outburst.

"Maybe we wouldn't have needed to wake that early if you guys weren't always slacking off! You're just like Tyson; all play and don't even think about the tournaments." Shaorin was shocked.

"Like I care what you even say anymore!" she shouted childishly, "And even if Tyson slacks off sometimes, at he has a heart unlike some cold bastards I know!" With a huff, she stormed out off the room.

"Shit…" Kai could only mutter. Somehow he always managed to rub her the wrong way and get her pissed off. Their arguments were as bad as his and Tyson's. That wasn't a good thing.

Shaorin had always been somewhat of a rebellious person. She hated rules…well especially the ones that she thought were ridiculous, which was about a good half. She didn't agree of a life without freedom, you could say that she was a freedom fighter in a way. But it's scary when she gets ticked off. Though she may be small in size, she had the ability to do many painful things.

He broke out of his thoughts and glanced outside the window, it was pouring rain. '_Not again…_' he groaned inwardly, and remembered his abandoned team outside. Feeling a migraine coming on, he reluctantly headed down to find them.

When he arrived back at the gym, he found them all there except for Shaorin.

"Rei, where's Shaorin?" Kai asked.

"Shao? But I thought she was with you…" Rei trailed off. Kai grimaced at that.

"I'm going outside to look for her," he said, and pushed open the door.

"Wait, Kai! It's pouring out!" Max called after him. His words were unheard in the winds.

Shaorin stood quietly on the balcony of the common room. Yelling at Kai had helped her blow off the steam she'd cooped up. Now the patter of the rainfall comforted her as she wondered how exactly she'd go about apologizing to the captain. Looking out onto the still busy streets, she saw a familiar figure run through the puddle-filled road.

"Eh…Kai?" she frowned. In worry, she rushed to find the others.

"Hey," she panted, "What's Kai…" she took a breath, "Doing in the rain?"

"Shaorin!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Answer my question please!" she said.

"He was looking for you," Sandy shrugged.

"Me?"

"Yeah, he was asking us about where you were," Kenny nodded.

"Ergh, Kai…" she moaned under her breath and grabbed an umbrella before dashing out the door like Kai did.

"Hm…at least she's smart enough to bring an umbrella," Naomi grinned.

'_Kai…where are you?_' Shaorin thought to herself worriedly. She searched place after place looking for him to no luck. Finally she went back to the park she had been to with him a while earlier. And to her joy, there he was standing by the playground with his back to her.

Curiously, she watched two girls approach him.

"Hey, it's raining hard here. Do you want to share an umbrella?" one asked him sweetly.

"No, leave me alone!" he growled. Shaorin frowned at his harshness.

"Kai Hiwatari," she called his name, holding the umbrella so that it shielded them both.

"Where the hell were you, Shaorin?" he shouted at her.

"No need to be so loud," she mumbled, a grim look on her face, but felt guilty for releasing all her anger on him earlier.

"Whatever," Kai crossed his arms, "Come on." He began to leave the park, leading Shaorin to God knows where.

"Eh, not so fast."

"Just shut up and catch up, slowpoke." Shaorin rolled her hazel eyes. They ended up in front of a five-star restaurant.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" she said to herself but followed him inside.

* * *

"Nice place…" she commented. Kai didn't say anything and kept drinking his coffee.

"Ohmigosh! I can't believe it's actually her! Look guys, it's Shaorin Kimoto!" someone suddenly burst out. Shaorin's eyes widened at that and immediately stood up.

"Come on Kai, we have to leave. **NOW**" she panicked. Sure she didn't mind her fans, but this was one of those times that she wanted to be a normal girl rather than a celebrity. Shaorin pulled Kai out of his seat and burst through the backdoor and to the back stairwell. She let out a sigh when she heard thunderous footsteps rush pass them.

"I think we're okay for now," she breathed. There was no answer from Kai.

"Uh…Kai?" she turned around and saw him lying on the floor. She crept over and shook him gently.

"Kai…" she whispered, pulling him closer to her. He moaned something inaudible, "Are you alright?" Crimson eyes opened slightly to stare up at her before closing again.

"Kai…" Shaorin squeaked, he'd collapsed into her arms.

"Now what?" she muttered to herself.

* * *

End chapter 10

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	11. Pre Tournament

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 11: Pre Tournament**

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, just the RebelBladers in this fic.

* * *

"Eesh…lady luck is definitely **not** on my side these days," Shaorin sighed. Sweat had formed on the slate haired boy's forehead as he lay there. She placed a hand on his forehead - it was unusually hot.

"How am I supposed to get us outta here? I could call for the car…but that would only attract more attention. There's always the option of walking, but it's still raining out…" she trailed off, catching a glimpse of the sky from the window in the door. It was perfectly sunny now, "Or maybe not…"

Letting out a long sigh, she began to haul Kai up to his feet.

"Why did you have to catch a fever now of all times," she muttered to herself.

"I'm fine," he spoke, leaning himself against the wall.

"Fine? You're running a fever!" Shaorin growled slightly, but regretted her action.

"Look Kai," she said more tenderly, "I just want to get you back as fast as possible, ok? Your fever is going to get worse otherwise."

Kai did not reply her.

"Come on," she pulled at his arm gently. When they got out the door, he shielded his eyes from the sun. Without a word, Shaorin took his arm and placed it around her shoulder to stable him.

"Don't argue," she told him when he glared at her. They began walking back to the hotel.

* * *

Back at the restaurant, the waiter began to clear off the table that Shaorin and Kai were sitting at. As he was picking up Shaorin's cup, a young man came up to him.

"Excuse me sir, but do you think that maybe I could have that cup?" the man asked. The waiter looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Uh, I'm afraid that this isn't exactly for sale," the waiter stammered.

"100." The man pulled out a hundred dollar bill. The waiter's eyes widened as he gave him the cup, accepting the money.

"Thank you," the man nodded, leaving the restaurant.

"Weird guy, what would he possibly want with a used cup?" the waiter muttered.

* * *

"Now go and change into dry clothes," Shaorin pushed Kai into his room, closing it behind him. Stretching her arms, she gave out a sigh of relief. She decided to do the same as Kai and go change herself. Changing out of the slightly drenched clothes, she took out baggy cargo pants and a black tee.

Shaorin came back out and found Kai already changed, dozing off in his room. Deciding not to wake him, she crept out of the room and headed down to find the others.

* * *

"Hey Shaorin!" Rei called out, she scanned the hotel restaurant to find the gang sitting at a table in the corner.

"Heya," she grinned, sliding in next to Naomi.

"Where's Kai?" Tyson asked.

"Uh…upstairs resting, I think I sorta caused him a fever…" she muttered.

"Kai's in bed? Then how're we supposed to train for the tournament?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Sandy crossed her arms.

"Heh…" Max rubbed his head in an apologetic manner.

"Anyways…How are the stats going chief?" Tyson changed topics.

"Well...there are six teams that actually made it into the tournament…so that's four not including us. They would be the Rowdy Boys, the Celestial Sisters, the All-Stars and Dark Wolves," Kenny informed.

"The Rowdy Boys and are mostly an offensive style team. And the Dark Wolves are a new team. And we already know about the All-Stars. I've heard that the Celestial Sisters use beat rhythm and all that singing and music stuff to win." Kenny continued.

"So…are they going to challenge us to a singing contest or something?" Sandy smirked.

"Even if they are, at least you guys have Shaorin on your team. I don't think the BladeBreakers are really up to singing," Rei sighed.

"Yeah…last time Tyson tried to sing the Do Re Mi song, he almost cracked a window with the high C," Max chuckled.

"Hey! I wasn't ready to sing that high," Tyson protested. The two teams laughed.

"So…what about the Dark Wolves?" Naomi asked.

"There's not much on here about them, like I said, they're a new team," Kenny explained.

"Okay so what do we have to be careful about basically?" Shaorin asked, "Other than Tyson's singing." She added jokingly.

"The All Stars and Celestial Sisters should be the biggest challenge you have from what I can see," Kenny pointed out.

"Great then this is going to be an easy win to the championships!" Tyson shouted.

"Don't be that certain Tyson, you don't even know their strategies or anything," Sandy reasoned.

"That's okay, we're gonna win anyway!" Tyson's spirit didn't falter, "Hey look, I rhymed." Shaorin laughed softly.

* * *

Kai woke up with a start; he sat up to quickly and regretfully felt the blood rush to his head. Groaning, he sensed an oncoming migraine. Massaging his temple, he headed to fetch a glass of water.

_Where'd Shaorin go? Probably went to find the others…_ He found clean glasses in one of the kitchen cupboards and filled it at the sink. Gulping it down quickly, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Kai felt his cheeks ridden of its heat from earlier. He heard the soft click of the door coming from the main room. Turning around, he acknowledged Shaorin's presence.

"How yah feeling now?" she asked, a small smile playing on her pink lips.

"Better," Kai smirked, brushing his own lips against her forehead. His smirk only broadened when he saw her blush.

"I'm sorry that I blew up at you today, it was totally uncalled for…" He didn't answer, but only nodded, which she took as a good sign.

"Okay then, wanna come down to the training room with me? I think I've finally gotten that new attack perfected," Shaorin grinned.

"Hn, just don't pass out on me again," Kai said, reminding her of the last time she tried to use the attack.

"It's not as if I wanted that to happen," she sighed exasperatedly, following him out of the room.

* * *

"Ready? 3, 2, 1…Let it rip!" Shaorin exclaimed. Both blades came crashing down to the dish heading for each other immediately.

"Dranzer, make this quick!" Kai commanded.

"We can do this, Liatora," Shaorin nodded firmly to her bit beast, but she felt her energy quickly fading with each hit she took. '_I need to do this soon, or I'll __**really**__ be done for.'_

"Now Lia, Cold Disarray!" she shouted. A torrent of wind and ice surrounded the lion as she roared. All you could see was the silhouette of her as she charged towards Dranzer at full speed.

Kai caught on to her attack and unleashed his own.

"Dranzer, Flame Sabre." The two attacks clashed and Shaorin held her arms in front of her face protecting herself from harm.

When the dust finally died down, both blades had stopped spinning.

"Dang it, I just can't beat you, can I?" Shaorin chuckled to herself. She hopped down into the dish and retrieved both blades.

"Here," she threw Dranzer towards Kai.

"Not bad for an amateur," Kai smirked, purposely insulting her.

"Amateur? How dareyou call me an amateur!" Rin huffed.

"Yes, an amateur, and no matter how much you try, you'll never be able to beat me," he nodded. This was a pointless conversation to him, but it was amusing to see Shaorin snap like that. Her mouth was open in a 'I don't believe you' way.

"Stop trying to imitate a goldfish," he turned to walk away. Shaorin was clearly pissed off and appalled. It took her a minute to register the fact that he had left her, before she ran after him in attempt to strangle him.

* * *

"Hey, uh…what happened to your neck?" Tyson pointed to the red marks on Kai's neck. Kai merely jerked a thumb in Shaorin's direction, who was speaking to her father. Tyson stifled a laugh at the fact that Kai had been strangled by the small girl.

"Shut it, Tyson."

* * *

"I'm sorry Dad,' I shouldn't have blown up on you like that," Shaorin apologized for the earlier incidents.

"I understand honey, I know you aren't exactly ready to let go yet. But I don't think that your mother would have wanted you to dwell in the past for so long. So I'm asking that you at least try to accept Myra, as a friend at least," Kenji patted her shoulders.

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises," she hugged him.

"Good. Well, I'll soon be leaving to Russia again. But I'll see you when I get back," he smiled.

"Actually dad, we might be going there for the world championships, ifwe make it to the finals, that is."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," he ruffled her hair, "I'm going to go home now. Bye dear." And with that he left.

"Everything okay now?" Shaorin smiled at the person who spoke.

"Marvi. I'm going to bed, we still have to wake up and train tomorrow," she made a face.

"Hn," he grunted mildly amused.

"Nights, Kai," she smiled, retreating to her room.

* * *

Over the next day they were training from 7 to 12 before having a lunch break, 1 to 6 then dinner, and then 7 to 9 training again. But of course they had small breaks between sessions. It was tiring, hardcore training. By the time they were let off, no one was in the mood to do anything except sleep and rest. Tomorrow they would have to compete in the tournament, and Kai was taking no chances of losing.

"Ugh…I feel like I went to hell and back," Celina groaned, collapsing onto the couch.

"Shove over," Shaorin joined her.

"But I guess it's worth it if we want to be ready tomorrow," Naomi reasoned.

"That, or Kai just wants to give us torture sessions," Celina laughed weakly.

"If he is, I'm going to personally kill him," Shaorin grumbled.

"We're depending on you," Tyson chimed in with a mock salute.

Max laughed, "That's only because Kai would kill you before you get 'im."

They laughed at Tyson's sheepish expression.

"I'm going to turn in now," Sandy yawned, heading for her room.

"Ditto that," Kenny went to his room. They all followed after him.

* * *

"Aren't we ready to go yet?" Naomi sighed the next morning.

"No, they're still trying to wake Tyson up," Shaorin sighed.

Celina shook her head, "Great. Today's the tournament and he decides not to wake up."

"Have they tried bribing him with food before?" Sandy said thoughtfully.

"Probably…what about Kai's threatening?" Celina suggested.

"Tried," Max answered, joining them.

"Don't you have some kind of hot sauce or something here?" Shaorin asked.

"Hot sauce…oh yah…" Sandy nodded; catching onto what Shaorin's thought was headed to. She got up and rushed to the kitchen, opening cupboards high and low in search for some hot sauce.

"Here, we go," she held up a bottle of Cajun Hot Sauce. Grinning, she walked into the sleeping boy's room receiving questioning looks from the others. Sandy uncapped the bottle, and let a few drops into Tyson's open mouth. When his brain finally registered what had happened, he jumped up and rushed to the washroom for water.

"You're pure evil Sandy!" he choked when he came back. Sandy smirked in approval.

"You got ten minutes Tyson, hurry it up," Kai informed. Letting flow a chain of curses, he dashed from here to there.

* * *

"Finally, we're here," Rei looked at the large stadium in front of them.

"I can't wait to see my mom again!" Max exclaimed.

"Your mom?" Shaorin repeated questioningly.

"Yah, she works with the All-Stars, the American team," Max explained.

"Oh, I see," she nodded.

"C'mon, let's go in and register first," Sandy directed them into the building.

"It's okay, I'll take care of the registration, you guys wait here," Kenny went off.

Celina grinned, "Thanks Chief!"

"Max!" a womanly voice called out.

"Mom!" Max ran to the blonde woman and hugged her.

"Hello boys," Judy nodded at the Bladebreakers, "And I believe we've never met." She directed her words at the RebelBladers.

"We're the RebelBladers," Sandy introduced.

"Pleased to meet you, these are the All-Stars," Judy introduced the team behind her. They waved and said a small hello to each other. Michael caught Shaorin's eye and winked. She returned a small smile, Kai glared sharply at the blonde boy.

"You guys wanna head down to the cafeteria with us, we still haven't eaten yet," Celina suggested.

"Sure," Emily agreed. The three teams headed towards the cafeteria, telling Kenny when they passed him.

* * *

"So, you girls got bit beasts, huh?" Michael asked.

"Yah…" Shaorin nodded.

"Of course they do Michael, you saw their stats, and you **know** that we're still going to beat them, bit beast or not," Emily sighed frustratingly. The RebelBladers exchanged glances.

"We've seen your stats already," Judy explained.

"Uh huh…" was all Naomi said.

"I'm hungry, come with me to see what there is," Emily tugged at Kai's arm. Shaorin seethed slightly. Kai shrugged her off and she bugged Eddy to go instead. The basketball player sighed and stood up.

Naomi got up. "You girls want anything?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Celina shook her head.

"Coffee," Sandy answered.

"Hot chocolate," Shaorin grinned childishly. Sandy shook her head.

"The last time you had something chocolate, you went sugar high." Shaorin shrugged.

"It was only for a bit."

"A bit? More like a whole hour."

"I thought the bed was going to break with you jumping on it like crazy," Celina chimed in.

"Fineee….okay, so I go a little hyper with chocolate," her two team mates stared at her pointedly, "Okay, maybe a lot of chocolate." She sighed.

"What about chocolate?" Emily asked, returning with some breakfast.

"Nothing," Sandy shook her head.

"Here yah go," Naomi placed down the cup of hot chocolate when she returned. Shaorin was about to reach for it when it was slid out of her reach. She stood up to reach farther when someone held her down. She scowled at Kai who looked at her with a stony expression.

Celina laughed, "Don't tell me she used to do that when she was little!" Shaorin gave up and let her head drop to the table with a groan of surrender.

"Pleeeeeeeeease," she sat back up, pleading the slate haired boy. Kai rolled his eyes and gave a firm 'no'. She then turned to Sandy with the same pleading look. Sandy stared at her back. Silence grew over them and finally Sandy gave up, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"Fine, fine, take it," she pushed the cup towards her.

"Yay, thank you!" Shaorin grinned, taking a drink of the sweet substance. Celina shook her head.

* * *

"Wheeeeeee!" Shaorin laughed, pouncing onto Kai's back when they went towards their locker room.

"Shit, Sandy I thought you'd have more will power than that," Kai muttered, unclasping Shaorin's hands from around his neck.

"Sorry, but she has apparently perfected the art of puppy eyes," Sandy chuckled.

"Poor Kai," Rei shook his head, grinning at his hyper cousin.

"Reiiiii!" Shaorin looked to his direction. Rei's golden eyes widened in apparent fear and he high tailed it out of the room.

"Aww…" Shaorin frowned, and went back to bothering Kai.

"Shaorin sure is scary when she's hyped," Rei sighed, outside of the locker room.

* * *

"You feel 'normal' again yet?" Tyson asked the auburn haired girl.

"Yuppers, I'm fine," Shaorin nodded.

"Good, 'coz it's almost time for us to go on," Kenny sighed in relief.

"Don't worry, these things last only a short period of time," Naomi assured.

"Right…Next time, we're putting **YOU** in the same room as Shao when she's hyper," Celina said.

"Stop jabbering and come on," Sandy pulled the girls towards the bleachers while the Bladebreakers headed to the stage area since they were battling first.

"Now let's welcome the Bladebreakers of Japan!" Jazzman announced. A wild roar of cheers erupted from the crowds as the team entered.

"And the opposing team, the Dark Wolves!" Another roar of applause broke out as the new rising team stepped out.

"This battle will consist of three matches and as usual, the team with 2 out of 3 battles wins," Jazzman reminded, "Will the first match Bladers step up." The Bladebreakers decided on Max going up first.

"Bladers ready," Jazzman shouted, "And 3…2...1, Let it rip!" Both blades had a powerful launch landing in the dish perfectly.

* * *

**End Chapter 11**

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	12. Onwards Ho! Tournament pt1

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 12: Onwards Ho! [Tournament pt1]**

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

* * *

"Go Gaaran," Sean, Max's opponent shouted. His Gaaran went head on and attacked Draciel. But the bit beast held his own hardly moving.

"That's it Draciel!" Max cheered.

"Ergh…" Sean growled when he found that his attack did no use.

"It's going to take more than that to take down Draciel and I," Max grinned.

"Go Maxi!" Tyson cheered.

"I'm not finished yet," Sean narrowed his eyes, "Gaaran, Oxen Rampage!"

"Metal Ball Defence!" Max countered the oncoming attack. The large amount of force pushing back caused Gaaran to fly out of the dish.

"And the winner is, Max!" Jazzman announced.

"Good one," Ray slapped him on the back. Max laughed.

"Alrighty, I'm next," Tyson stepped up.

"Bladers ready? And 3, 2, 1…Let it RIP!" Blades came ripping down towards the dish. The Bladebreakers had an advantage with their experience and hard-core training given by Kai and easily blew by the Dark Wolves.

"And the Bladebreakers advance to the next round of the tournament!"

"That was quite easy," Sandy scoffed watching from where she was. The Dark Wolves were still amateurs and still had much to learn.

Despite that fact, Tyson was still cheering happily.

"I wish he wasn't so full of himself. It wasn't that big of a win," Naomi shook her head.

"Oh, lighten up. There's no harm in having a little fun," Shaorin said.

"Come on. Let's get to the changing rooms. We still have some time to change," Celina stood up. They followed her lead towards where the participant locker rooms were.

* * *

"Yo, where are the girls?" Tyson asked when they reached the bleachers.

"Probably getting ready for their battle, they're up against the Celestial Sisters." Max shrugged.

"There's the Celestial Sisters," Ray pointed at 3 girls readying by their side of the stadium, "But the RebelBladers aren't here."

"If they don't hurry, they're going to be disqualified," Kenny panicked slightly. Kai frowned in disgust. Disqualified for showing up late? Who would be stupid enough to do that? Even though Tyson slept in a lot, he knew not to be late.

"Wait a sec, there they are," Max pointed to the girls filing into the stadium. They were all wearing matching outfits but in different colours. And some of them didn't look so happy.

"Celina, how could you do this?" Naomi groaned pointing at her sky blue coloured shirt and black pants. Celina herself had on an emerald one, Sandy had deep purple and Shaorin wore crimson. Sandy had a look of annoyance on her face and Shaorin looked exasperated.

"There's nothing wrong with a little team spirit," Celina grinned.

"You're hopeless," Sandy sighed slapping her hand to her forehead.

"No comment." Shaorin crossed her arms.

"Fine, be an ass," Celina hmphed.

"Right…we gotta go on now. C'mon!" Sandy pulled her into the stadium.

The Celestial Sisters spotted them and walked over.

"Since it's both of our first battle in this tournament, let's say we hit it off with a bang?" A tall teal haired girl spoke.

"Sure, why not?" Sandy nodded.

"Okay then, I challenge one of you to sing against one of us during the match."

"Weird challenge, but we accept," Naomi agreed.

"Good to hear, no please choose your challenger."

"Shaorin," the three, Sandy, Naomi and Celina said monotonously.

"W-what?" Shaorin was taken back.

"Then it's agreed, our first match shall begin." And the Celestial Sisters turned to leave.

"Argh...Why do I put up with this?" Shaorin groaned.

"Because, you're the youngest and have to do everything we say," Celina teased.

"By only a few months," Shaorin protested.

"Five," Sandy grinned.

"That's almost half a year," Naomi added.

"Aiay…I give up," Shaorin shook her head.

"Now be a good girl and go up there and sing!" Sandy pushed her to the dish. A microphone was handed to her and also her opponent, which was the girl who had challenged them.

"I hope you can sing well, coz I've won a few competitions myself," the girl smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll hold my own," Shaorin returned her smile. She had to admit though, the idea of singing as a battle weapon puzzled her to no end.

"Good, wouldn't want you crying now when I win," the girl smirked.

"Like that'll ever happen."

"Uh…why are they holding mikes?" Tyson asked.

"Just like we guessed, they're challenging them to a singing contest," Kenny said.

"That's kind of cheap though, the Celestial Sisters' blades were built to move to beats and rhythms." Ray observed.

"Don't underestimate them," Kai grunted.

"Kai's right, they've probably got a few tricks up their sleeves too," Kenny nodded.

"Bladers are you ready? 3, 2, 1…Let it RIP!" Jazzman shouted as the blades were launched. Tamara, the girl up against Shaorin held her microphone and began singing. She started with a fast song, playing an electronic beat on her keyboard while singing.

_**The last that ever she saw him, carried away by a moonlight shadow. He passed on worried and warning carried away by a moonlight shadow. Lost in a river last Saturday night, far away on the other side, he was caught in the middle of a desperate fight and she couldn't find how to push through.**_

Throughout her song, her white blade moved to the beat sliding just out of Liatora's grasp and then rammed into her. Shaorin was beginning to lose power. But she was starting to catch on to how it worked. If she could get Liatora to respond to the beat, she'd be in the clear. But how could she create a strong enough beat with only her voice. Acapella didn't seem very sufficient. Glancing up at the soundbox, she saw Celina waving at her, and gave her a thumbs up. Shaorin grinned, and grippd her microphone as the loud bass reverberated through the stadium.

_**Right, right, turn off the lights, we're gonna lose our minds tonight. What's the dealio? I love when it's all too much, 5 a.m. turn the radio up. Where's the rock 'n roll?**_

It seemed to work as Tamara's blade couldn't quite catch up to hers. Feeling more confident, Shaorin glanced at her opponent who was watching the blades in frustration.

_**So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways. All my underdogs, we will never be, never be anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks. Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass! Just come on and come on and raise your glass!**_

Liatora obeyed and moved with the beat. She wove in and out of Tamara's way and slammed into her blade harshly. When Shaorin finished her song, she decided that it was time to end the battle too.

"Liatora, Ice Shards." And in a flash, Tamara's blade was taken out.

"Fantastic!" Naomi grinned. The rest of the round went smoothly enough though Naomi was beaten by their team captain.

"Hah, we're catching up, Ty!" Celina grinned after they left the stadium. The All-Starz had taken out the Rowdy Boys and would be facing the RebelBladers the next day.

"You wish, you'll never beat the world champs," Tyson smirked.

"If I remember correctly, we won the last time we battled you," Naomi grinned.

"But we were still rusty back then, now we're back fully prepared," Tyson looked determined to win.

"Whatever you say, Granger," Celina held her hand up ending the argument.

"So what are we going to do now?" Sandy asked in a bored manner.

"Uh…I have no clue," Shaorin shrugged, sitting down on a bench nearby.

"I want to go to the beach," Celina contemplated.

"Anyone else want to?" Ray asked.

"I'll second the motion," Max grinned. Tyson and the Chief nodded in agreement while Sandy just shrugged.

"Let's hit it then!" Tyson took off in a random direction.

"Wait! Tyson! Do you even know where you're going?" Rei shouted after the navy haired boy.

Tyson stopped short. "Heh…oops."

"Come on, we need to pick up our beach stuff first back at the hotel," Sandy shook her head. Kai stared at the dragon wielding blader in mild amusement.

* * *

"Hn…this should be fun," Kai muttered sarcastically when they arrived at the beach parking lot.

"Don't be such a grouch," Shaorin teased.

"Yah, Mr. Sourpants," Tyson chimed. Kai cast him a dark glare.

They found a spot away from the crowds and set up their stuff. Towels were laid out and umbrellas were put up.

Shaorin grinned watching Max and Tyson splash each other in the water. She pulled her shades over her eyes and lay down on her Finding Nemo patterned beach towel that she adored. Soon her eyes were closed and half asleep. She wasn't aware of the few shadows closing in on her until she felt herself being lifted up.

"Gah!" She flailed her arms and legs wildly trying to struggle out of her captors' grip. Familiar chuckles filled her ears and she looked up to see smirking faces of Tyson, Max and Ray. And then it dawned on her of what they were about to do.

"Put me down!" she screamed, "Help! Kai? Celina? Girls? Anyone?" A big splash was heard when she landed in the salty water. Shaorin came up sputtering.

"Alright, who's idea was this," she pushed her hair away from her face, she was now drenched from head to toe, though she was luckily in a swimsuit. Snickering, Max and Tyson pointed to Ray who grinned at her innocently. The rest of the RebelBladers laughed while Kai watched her smirking in an amused way.

"Raymond Kon! Prepare to die in a watery grave!" Shaorin growled chasing after her golden eyed cousin. Normally Ray's Neko-jin attributes would give him the upper hand. But Shaorin had a little Neko in her too, and her speed had picked up, gaining on him. With a quick leap, Ray found himself being pinned down by the small auburn girl. She ended up being pried off by Kai, Tyson and Max.

"Whoa man, calm down," Tyson laughed, holding Shaorin back from running at Ray again. Ray was getting to his feet, his hair was tussled and his braid was coming loose. Not to mention Shaorin had managed to get a hold of his red bandana so that his hair was now covering part of his face.

"Whoo…Ray, you look a mess," Celina teased. He glared at her.

"For once Shaorin shows her vicious side!" Sandy exclaimed proudly. By now the girl mentioned had calmed down enough to be set free of Tyson and Max's hold.

"Revenge is sweet," Shaorin grinned in a shockingly malicious way, dangling the red fabric in her right hand.

"Gimme that," Ray lunged for it. But she dodged his attempts.

"Uh un."

"Shaorin Kimoto." It was Ray's turn to growl.

"Fine then, ruin my fun," Shaorin winked with a sudden change of mood. She tossed the bandana towards the sky and skipped towards the refreshment stand.

"Meh, she probably went to get ice cream," Sandy shrugged.

"Wait a sec…_Ice cream_?" Celina repeated.

"Crap," Kai groaned, shaking his head. They could hear the distant giggling of a sugar high Shaorin skipping back towards them.

"Wow…she goes even more hyper than Maxi here. And he eats pixie sticks, which are like pure sugar," Tyson sweat dropped when he watched Shaorin grin crazily.

"Shh, don't give her any ideas," Naomi nudged him.

At that moment, Shaorin was squeezing the life out of Kai as she was piggy backed on him, who was cursing under his breath. Giggling, she messed up his spiky slate bangs. Annoyed, he dropped her back down onto her towel. Grinning, she let out a satisfied sigh before settling on her back, underneath the umbrella.

_She's going to be the death of me someday._ Kai shook his head sitting himself a bit away from Shaorin. He rubbed his neck, which ached slightly from Rin's tight grip. For such a small girl she had some strength.

A while later, Tyson was beginning to get bored. He picked up a few flat jagged rocks and began to skip them on the water. A tap on his shoulder startled him. He turned to see the curious face of Shaorin.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Doing the Macarena, what does it look like?" he cracked. Shaorin smiled and found a rock of her own. She watched Tyson throw his stone. 1...2...3... PLOP and it sank. Grinning, she tried to copy him. PLOP! It only sounded. She made a face and frowned. Shaorin tried again but her attempt failed. Tyson watched in amusement as rock after rock they sank. He stifled his laughter unsuccessfully and she turned to him in annoyance.

"Hey, I never tried before," she defended.

"Try to sort of whip it out," Tyson said. Shaorin nodded and it skipped twice.

"Yes!" she laughed.

"Yo you guys, we gotta go," Max called for them.

"Coming," Shaorin waved, and ran up the beach to them with Tyson trailing behind her. She unceremoniously tripped over a rock in her way and began to fall face first. She winced, waiting for the impact to come, but it didn't. Instead she looked up and saw those blood crimson eyes boring into her own.

"Ha ha, oops." Kai looked at her strangely as a blush appeared on her face.

"Klutz," Kai muttered. Shaorin's grateful expression turned into an irritated one. He would never give up on criticizing her would he?

* * *

**End Chapter 1****2**

* * *

Notes: Rei is now spelt Ray. Apparently, I started to lay off whatever crack I was on at this point. Yay for coherency!

Revised: May 30, 2011


	13. Loosen Up Tournament pt2

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 13: Loosen Up [Tournament pt2]**

Disclaimer: When my friends asked me what I wanted for my birthday…I had no clue what to say. But now I've finally found the perfect answer. "Can I have Kai?" (Grins cheekily)

* * *

"Come ON," Celina groaned, pushing Tyson back onto his bus seat. The navy-haired boy had woken up on time today, but was extremely sleepy still. They all kept poking and prodding at him to keep him awake. At one point it had seemed that he was fully awake, but his eyelids closed almost immediately after that.

"Ergh…you're heavier than a damn elephant, Tyson!" Sandy snapped, giving Celina a hand. He jumped slightly at the outburst and straightened himself out.

"Oh good, you're finally awake, and we've finally arrived at the stadium already," she muttered dryly.

"Well sorry," he yawned, making a face, "I was cramming an extra training session in last night."

"That's only because Kai caught you trying to sneak a midnight snack again," Chief commented.

Tyson protested, "But I was hungry!"

Shaorin laughed from behind him, "Like always!"

"I bet that if _you_ were the one having a snack, you wouldn't be doing extra training! Heck, I'm sure Kai would even make a sandwich for you before you slept!" Tyson half mocked.

"That ain't true, that dude doesn't have a drop of compassion in him!" she jerked a thumb in the indifferent slate haired boy's direction. Tyson sniggered at that.

"Shut it, Granger," Kai snapped suddenly.

"Oooh, Mr. Sourpants can't take a little insult?" Teased Celina, Naomi nudged her slightly as to remind her not to go too far. Kai ignored her comment and continued walking.

"Aww…no fun, do you suppose we should give Shaorin some sugar and release her on Kai?" Celina asked hopefully. Sandy gave her a weird look and glanced at the short girl now talking animatedly with Ray.

"As tempting as it seems, nah," Sandy laughed softly.

"Then what about Max?" Celina suggested. Naomi stifled her giggles.

"You're seriously bored," she shook her head.

* * *

"As much as I'd love to, no." Came Shaorin's prompt reply to Celina's offer.

"Come_ on_, please? For me?" Celina pleaded her, a pixie stick in one hand.

"Uh un, I think Kai has suffered enough from me," she said almost sheepishly.

"Fine…" sighed Celina, gulping the candy down herself.

Shaorin sighed half in amusement half in exasperation. The amber haired girl was in the mood for mischief today and she would go to all extent. It happened a lot before important matches and such, but mostly just because she was bored.

* * *

"As much as I was hoping to face the Bladebreakers again, this is no disappointment," Eddy grinned when he stepped up to the dish with Naomi.

Naomi made no reply but readied her sky blue blade. Her expression was unreadable, but then again that wasn't surprising for Naomi. She'd trained to stay expressionless before a battle, as not to let any weaknesses slip as well as calm down and focus on the task at hand. It was what made her unbeatable.

Right after the call was made, both blades launched and effectively crashed into the dish. Trypio instantly appeared and lashed out its spiky tail at Leodora.

"You're not taking me down that easily," Naomi had a grim face when Leodora took some damage but still stayed strong.

"Sharp Squall," Naomi commanded, and unleashed a fury of harsh winds at Trypio. The large Beyblade began to rock from side to side. Despite its great balance, it was losing power, fast.

There was no way that Naomi could lose this time; one loss from yesterday had already bruised her record.

"Now! Fury Swipe!" The blue Leopard let out a cry and released its sharp claws at Trypio, immediately disabling the blade.

Naomi let out a sigh of relief and picked up her blade, which was still spinning. Grinning, she looked up at Eddy and extended her hand.

"Good match!" Eddy returned the favour and shook her hand.

"Well, you're up," directed Sandy, as Celina got up towards the dish. She passed by Naomi and gave her a thumbs up sign.

"Let's get this party started," Celina smirked, ready to launch.

"I agree," Emily nodded.

And after the call, both blades flew to the dish.

Celina grinned, concentrating on her attack. "Prepare to go down." She'd been anticipating this match all day, there was something about the arrogant way Emily held herself that pissed her off and she couldn't wait to knock her down a notch or two.

"I don't think so," Emily swerved out of the way. Celina growled a bit but kept on going, hoping to wear her out soon.

"Just give it up, Inoshi. You'll never be able to beat me. Our enhanced bit beasts give us the upper hand in these matches."

"Oh really? Then why is it that Naomi was able to win?"

"That was a mere miscalculation."

"I see….then let's see you calculate this! Crimson Sabre!" Pandora was released and charged towards Trygator at a rapid speed and succeeded in knocking Emily out.

"Kudos," grinned Celina.

"Ni-ice," Shaorin smiled.

"I guess I'll go anyways then," shrugged Sandy. It was a short match, and Sandy won over Steven without difficulty. Despite the strong attacks that were launched at Cheetora.

* * *

"This ain't practice no more, it's the real thing, so give it your all," Sandy grinned nonchalantly.

"You were never good at pep talks were you?" Naomi shook her head laughingly.

"Nah…" Sandy said.

"I'll go first!" Celina piped up.

"But you just went during the last match, Shaorin should go," Sandy pointed out.

"S'okay, I was planning on sitting this round out anyways," Shaorin shook her head.

"You sure? This is the finals after all…" Celina cocked her head to one side. Shaorin nodded.

"Okay then, let's do this!" Naomi cheered.

"Isn't Shaorin the one who usually says that?" Sandy wondered aloud.

* * *

"Welcome everyone to the finals of the Canadian Tournament. I'm Brad Best here with AJ Topper bringing you the latest with this showdown," Brad Best bellowed.

"Thanks Brad and here at the finals are the BladeBreakers versus the RebelBladers. Both teams have been unbeatable throughout this tournament and are proving to be invincible as teams," AJ announced.

"And first up is Max Tate against Celina Inoshi," Brad said.

"Good Luck Maxi," Celina grinned, stepping up to the dish.

"Right back at you," Max grinned too.

/3.2. it RIP! /

"Pandora!" Celina cheered.

"Draciel!"

"Crimson Sabre, take him out!" The Panther crashed with Draciel but was thrown back by the strong shield.

"What the…" Celina blinked, but it quickly faded away when she charged at him once again. This time though Max strengthened his defence too and countered her attack, sending Pandora flying out of the dish and landed at Celina's feet.

"Ah…Damn it," she cursed under her breath.

"You'll do better next time," Max assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled gratefully.

"You're up next, Sandy," Shaorin pushed the older girl to the dish opposite of Tyson.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, Granger," winked Sandy.

"Ditto that," Tyson smirked grabbing his Dragoon.

/3…2...1...Let it RIP/

They both crashed onto the dish and spun around each other, anticipating their next move. At the same time, the two blades attacked each other sending each other into the air.

Once both blades had landed, Dragoon began circling around Cheetora. The cheetah bit growled in annoyance, trying to spin out of the perimeters, but found herself repelling back.

Sandy gritted her teeth at the discovery and ordered Cheetora to attack, "Iron Claw!"

Cheetora managed to free herself from Dragoons grasp and waited patiently for the winds to die down, before attacking the dragon, head on.

"Dragoon, Storm Attack," Tyson shouted, but was not quick enough before Sandy had sent him flying out of the dish altogether.

"Whoo! Yah!" Sandy cheered, flashing a peace sign.

"Me next!" Naomi grinned, jumping up from where she sat.

"Go for it," Celina winked. Nodding confidently, she strode up to the dish across from Ray.

"Now don't start crying when I win, 'kay?" Naomi winked good-naturedly.

"Don't worry; I've got a whole box of tissue just for you, Naomi. Coz no way am I going to lose this one," Ray grinned.

"Aww, all for me? Now don't I feel special?" she rolled her eyes. Ray laughed.

* * *

"And the result is…A TIE!" AJ Topper shouted. Ray glanced at Naomi's horror-stricken face. Looks like neither of them would be winning this one.

"The officials have decided to have the subs from each team battle to determine the outcome of this final round," Jazzman received word from Mr. Dickinson.

Shaorin's gaze shot up and she looked across the arena. She locked gaze with Kai before letting a small smile play on her lips. Kai smirked. Seems as if they'd be facing each other after all.

"It's been a long time since we've battled like this, ne Kai?" Shaorin grinned. stepping up to the dish.

"Yes," Kai replied easily.

"Bladers ready!" Jazzman shouted.

"Don't go easy on me now," she teased.

/3…2...1...LET IT RIP! /

"Have I ever?" the two toned blunette released a strong launch.

"Hope not. Wouldn't want to know you think of me as an _amateur_, now would I?" she cocked her head to one side.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dranzer attack," Kai ordered the great phoenix. The blue Beyblade headed straight towards the orange one

"Nuh uh uh, not so fast," Shaorin shook her finger in a joking manner, "Liatora, dodge it!" Kai growled, when the orange blade slipped right past him.

"Speed isn't going to help you this time," he smirked as Dranzer attacked her again and successfully hit his target.

"Good, but not good enough." Shaorin played out the match in her head and looked for a way to take the lead in this match. She waited for the right opportunity as Dranzer slammed into her repeatedly.

"Wow, looks like Shaorin's taking a beating from Kai here," Brad Best commented.

"Now Liatora! Ice Shards!" The lioness rose from her bit chip and growled before charging at Dranzer with a torrent of ice and wind trailing behind her.

"The tables are turning, Brad," AJ corrected.

"Flame Sabre," Kai commanded at the same moment. Almost like déjà vu, the two attacks collided with each other and sent both blades repelling back. Dranzer landed on the edge of the dish and quickly spun back into the middle, but Liatora was not as lucky. She was sent off the edge and to Shaorin's feet, still spinning.

Shaorin cursed softly under her breath as she picked up her blade.

"Guess you got me again," she said to Kai in a disappointed tone.

"Hn, guess so." Kai strode coolly back to his seat.

"And there you have it folks! The winners of the Canadian Tournament, the BladeBreakers!" Shouts and cheers of excitement were heard from the massive crowds as the BladeBreakers stood in the middle of the platform.

"And also the runner-ups, the RebelBladers!" Shaorin laughed as they joined the BladeBreakers.

"That's another win for the BladeBreakers, oh yah!" Tyson cheered.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Dragoon-boy, 'coz we'll be joining you in Russia where the **real** fun will begin," Sandy smirked.

"I bet I can take you all on at once," Tyson boasted.

"We'll see Ty, we'll see," Naomi shook her head.

"Forget about the arguments and let's celebrate," Michael laughed, motioning them towards the exit door.

"That's **if** we can get past those fans," Ray reminded.

"Yay! More fans for me!" Tyson half joked.

"Come on," Celina hit him upside the head.

* * *

Kai sat by the bar watching some of the others party and make a fool out of themselves. The others were just socializing and standing or sitting around, some holding a drink, laughing and talking. They were at the bar in the hotel that the BladeBreakers and the RebelBladers were staying at.

"Aren't you going to have any fun?" Ray joined him, claiming a seat on a stool.

"This is not exactly the most 'fun' thing to do, half of them are getting drunk stupid," Kai replied dryly, pointing at Max who was hiccupping and a few who were sort of red in the face and swaying slightly. Ray chuckled.

"Not even going to dance?"

"I don't dance."

"Or is it you **can't** dance?"

"I may or may not, but that's none of your business."

"Don't be such a party pooper, Kai. Go on and have some fun," Ray pointed to the middle of the floor where most of the crowds were dancing and swaying to the beat of the music.

"No thanks." Ray sighed, and gave up. But a flash of auburn caught his eye.

"Hey, Shaorin."

"Hm? Oh, hi Ray," the hazel eyed girl beamed.

"Can you do me a favour?"

"Uh, sure I guess…"

"Go get Kai and make him dance."

"Huh? What?" Shaorin stuttered, but Ray had already left.

"Argh…I'm going to throttle you, dear cousin," she muttered and began weaving her way through the sea of people until she reached the crimson eyed teen.

"Kai?"

"Hn, what?"

"Want to dance with me?" Kai raised a slate brow, perplexed.

"Ray sent you here?"

"Uh…ah…no?" she fingered the hem of her shirt.

"No, I don't feel like it," he answered anyways.

"But Kaiiii! Please?"

"No."

"I won't eat sugar for a week then if you dance with me," she tried.

"…"

"Just one dance? One measly little dance?" she pleaded, pulling on her arm.

"Grr...fine, if this'll make you shut up," Kai reluctantly agreed, "And you promised no sugar." Shaorin beamed with triumph as she pulled him into the crowds.

A fast upbeat song was playing when suddenly the DJ changed the song to a slow one. Shaorin noticed all the couples around them hold on to each other, slow dancing. She blushed, when her gaze met with Kai's. They both stood awkwardly in the middle of all the couples. Shaorin was blushing furiously, wondering about what she should do. Should she just walk away?

Kai glared witheringly at those who gave them funny looks, before he sighed. They were here anyways, may as well…

He took Shaorin's hands and placed them on his shoulders and slipped his own arms around her waist. Shaorin smiled slightly and silently thanked him. She wrapped her arms closer around his neck and settled her head against his chest.

Off to the side, Ray noticed the change between the two and chuckled softly. He caught Kai's eye and smirked. Kai sent him a dark look that said not to tell anyone about this. Ray stifled his laughter.

After the song ended, Shaorin loosened her arms and made a motion to end their dance. Kai gave her a slight nod and let her go. She smiled when a small sigh escaped past his lips.

"Save me one more dance later, 'kay?" she grinned, leaving Kai to find his way back to the bar.

"Shao, the floor's being opened up to anyone who wants to sing, you going?" Celina asked her friend.

"I don't this so," she shrugged, shoving her hand in her pocket.

"Aww, come on, go sing us one song," Celina pushed her.

"But I don't know what to sing."

"Um…oh," Celina leaned over to whisper something into her ear. A small blush formed again on Shaorin's face.

"But I can't…"

"Don't worry, he'll love it I'm sure," Celina steered her towards the stage.

"Looks like Shaorin's going to sing," Tyson nudged the others, seeing the RebelBladers' youngest member walk onto the makeshift stage.

"Hey everybody," Shaorin tried to sound as cheerful as ever over her nervousness, "I want to sing a song dedicated to a very good friend of mine." Clutching the microphone in her hand, she cued the DJ to play the song and let the sweet melody play out.

'_I have this vision I keep inside me I've told to nobody else. Baby I'm gonna share it with you cause I can't keep it all to myself. I could tell you I don't want you but you know it's a lie. You see the truth in my eyes.'_

She glanced cautiously at Kai who was watching her every move.

_'You are my heaven; you are my secret dream come true. My Heaven. And I want it just like this every night, and I wanna feel like this the rest of my life.'  
_

Her gaze stayed on Kai as she continued to finish the song. Once she had finished the last words of the song, Shaorin lowered the mic and waited for the music to end before returning the microphone and practically ran off stage.

She awkwardly passed by Kai and headed straight towards Celina.

"Please kill me now," she groaned, leaning against the wall.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he loved it. He was looking at you the whole time!" Celina assured.

"Yeah I know he was staring at me, but it could have been because I was making a total **fool** of myself!"

"Chillax, everything's fine." Doubtfully, Shaorin watched Kai out of the corner of her eye down another shot of Vodka before following with a chaser. Underage drinking…bah.

* * *

"Kai?" Shaorin shook her best friend, trying to bring him back to the world of consciousness.

"C'mon, wakey wakey," She said softly.

"Nnn…" a groan slipped out of him.

"We're getting you back to your room, get up," Shaorin dragged him off the where he was sitting and cringed at the heavy weight that was added to her.

"Geez…you need to go on a diet, Kai," she teased lightly.

"Shut up," he muttered.

She chuckled, "Nice to know you can actually comprehend what I'm saying,"

"Whatever." He leaned on her for support since his vision was blurring and spinning. He hardly noticed when they finally arrived back at his room.

Shaorin let him collapse onto his bed, and went to get something to wipe his face. When she came back, she found him lying on his side, breathing evenly. Sighing, she placed used the cloth to wipe his face, and wiped off his blue shark fins too. After finishing that, she went to the other end of the bed and proceeded to take his shoes off, since it wouldn't be ideal for him to sleep with them on.

Smiling at her work, she gently brushed her lips over his triangle-less cheek and turned to leave, but not before a hand shot out and trapped her hand.

"Kai…"

"You still owe me a dance."

"What? You don't expect me to dance now?" He didn't answer, but got to his feet, pulling their bodies together. "Kai Hiwatari…"

"Rin, you promised," he replied almost child-like in his inebriated state.

"Ugh…fine, but we have no music."

"Screw that."

"Uh…okay?" Shaorin mumbled unsurely, wrapping her arms around his neck once more while Kai held her waist.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you just want to hug me," Shaorin cocked an accusing eyebrow at him.

"Hn…" he only replied, eyes half closed from the effect of the alcohol.

"See, look at you! You're hardly awake; can't we save this for tomorrow? Because I don't exactly need you collapsing on me right n-.." she was silenced by the blunette's mouth on hers.

"Shut up," he repeated against her mouth. Damn…he sure knew how to drink; he was drunk yet very conscious of what he was doing at the same time!

Shaorin wanted to say something but nothing came to her. She reluctantly broke the kiss from the lack of air and snuggled her head onto his chest once again. Kai tightened his hold on her.

"Kai?"

"Hn…"

"Did you ever miss me after I left?"

"…"

"Kai?"

"…Maybe." Shaorin gave him a mad look. He ignored it and stifled a yawn.

"You should be sleeping," she stated.

"Guess I should," Kai let go of her and slid back into bed. He shifted to one side of the mattress in a silent invitation.

"Er…you're kidding right?" Shaorin blushed, glad for the darkness in the room.

"You trust me, right? And it's not as if we never did this before."

"But that's different, we were little kids then."

"Your point?"

"I-I…oh never mind," she sighed, and instead of crawling onto the bed next to him, she turned and headed to the door, "Good night, Mr. Hiwatari." Kai smirked.

"Night…Rin," he muttered, only after she left.

* * *

End Chapter 13

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011


	14. Russia: Enter the Demolition Boys

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 14: ****Russia: Enter the Demolition Boys**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.**

* * *

"No Shaorin, you promised no sugar," Kai frowned, holding the chocolate chip cookies out of her grasp, he'd had enough of a headache this morning from the hang over and didn't need anything else to irritate him.

"Aww, but Kai!"

"No," he answered firmly.

"You're so cruel," Shaorin huffed, crossing her arms and turning her back to him.

"What?" he blinked in bewilderment. She turned back to face him and stuck her tongue out before stomping out to find the others.

"Trouble with the cookies?" Max grinned, coming in after he saw Shaorin leave.

"Hn, she's hunting for sugar again," Kai replied, about to put down the object.

Max raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cookie jar. "Really?"

"Hell no, not you as well," Kai muttered, taking the cookie jar with him as he left the kitchen. Max's face fell.

* * *

"You almost done?" Celina questioned as she walked into Shaorin's room.

"Huh? Oh, I was just looking for you," Shaorin smiled, motioning her over, "Help me close this up?"

"Sure," Celina walked to the overflowing suitcase, "What the heck do you have in here? 16 pairs of jeans?"

Shaorin laughed, "Nah, it's just my bad organizational skills."

"Right, and that," Celina nodded, pushing down the suitcase.

"Oh shoot, I forgot something," Shaorin snapped her fingers, and picked up a heavily decorated book from the bed.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just a scrapbook I keep," shrugged Shaorin.

"Can I see?" Celina held out her hands.

"I guess so…" Celina lifted the moderately heavy book and opened it up to the first few pages.

"Aww, you looked so cute when you were little," she gushed at a picture of Baby Shaorin. She chuckled softly.

"Is this Kai?" Celina pointed to a picture of a 6 year old Shaorin and 7 year olds Tala and Kai.

"Yup, and that's Tala, our other friend."

"Where's this?" Shaorin glanced at the photo; it was one of a willow tree.

"Uh, it's the tree that Kai and I were supposed to meet at…"

"I see, I see," Celina changed the subject, "What's this about?"

"Hm…Christmas, I was 9 and the guys were 10," Shaorin grinned at the picture. Kai was scowling at the fact that Shaorin had put tinsel in his hair with Tala laughing at him whom also had leftover wrapping paper stuck to him. Shaorin was standing behind Kai grinning triumphantly, but had a Christmas Wreath on her head.

"Poor Kai," Celina commented.

"Hey, he put the wreath on my head first!" Shaorin protested. Celina laughed.

"Hey, these are of us!" the ruby eyed girl exclaimed. Shaorin giggled at the pictures she had taken with her three friends. There were ones at concerts, birthdays, dances, graduation, Christmases and times when they were just hanging out.

"I thought I told you to erase this from your camera!" Celina whined.

"Uh un, no way am I gonna waste this precious picture," Shaorin grinned, taking the book from her reach, so that Celina couldn't take out the picture of herself in a ridiculous hairdo that the others had done for her.

"Hey guys, you better get your packing done, we're leaving tonight," Ray smirked from behind the door to Shaorin's room, "Nice look by the way." He commented when he caught sight of the photo. Shaorin laughed as Celina cried out in frustration.

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Kai muttered, staring up at Shaorin's home. She had pulled him along with her.

"I have some things to take care of," she answered.

"So why am I here?"

"Because I can't drive."

"Hn."

"Right… Anyways…" Shaorin waited for Rosa to answer the door.

"Miss. Shaorin, what are you doing here? I thought you were leaving for Russia today," Rosa gasped.

"Oh, we're leaving tonight, I've just come to take care of something," she repeated what she had told Kai.

"I see, off with you then," Rosa ushered them inside.

"Thanks Rosa," Shaorin grinned, dashing towards the stairs.

"And don't run! I just waxed the floor!" A loud thump followed by an "Oh crud…" was heard.

"Klutz." Was what came afterwards.

"Shut it, and give me a hand up, would yah?" Kai rolled his eyes at her childishness and he reluctantly extended his hand to her. She pulled herself up and brushed off her pants.

"Thanks," she grinned still.

"After all those years at the Abbey, I would've thought you'd learned more grace."

"Hey! Lay off will you?" Rosa chuckled softly at the couple ascending the stairs.

"Teenagers…" she mumbled half-heartedly.

* * *

"Hm, I'll take these I guess," Shaorin threw a couple of CDs into her bag.

"You came back just to take some CDs?" Kai raised an eyebrow. Shaorin shrugged and trudged to the bed. She knelt down and retrieved a box from under it. Opening it, she took out the letter given to her almost three years ago.

Kai's eyes widened as she searched for a lighter and found one that was a souvenir from a vacation. She held the lighter up to the corner of the paper and lit it up. The sheet of paper slowly disintegrated as she dropped it into the waste bin.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"I don't want to dwell on the past anymore, besides, it was a misunderstanding," Shaorin let a small smile appear on her lips. She walked over to Kai and threw her arms around him. Slightly surprised, he stumbled back a step before holding her to him. Wordlessly, the two watched the meek fire die off.

"I was scared when you left me, you know," She poked him almost accusingly. He replied by brushing his lips against her forehead, before leading her out of the room.

* * *

"I call window seat!" Tyson shouted as they piled onto the plane. Ray chuckled and sat in the middle rows. Celina, Naomi, Sandy and Kenny followed him. Max took the seat next to Tyson while Kai and Shaorin sat by the other window.

'_At least I'm far away from Tyson.'_ Kai glanced towards the other side of the plane.

"What 'cha thinking about?" Shaorin asked on his other side.

"Nothing," he answered gruffly.

"You're no fun," she pouted, popping a CD into her CD player. (1)

"And you're annoying." But his voice was drowned out by the music blaring in her ear.

* * *

Kai was watching the plane movie, extremely bored. He glanced over to the others and found them either sleeping or watching the movie and Kenny was typing away on Dizzy. Looking to his right he watched in mild amusement as Shaorin, half asleep, nodded her head as she fell in and out of consciousness.

Sighing inwardly, he pushed her head slightly so that it rested on his shoulder. Shaorin opened her hazel eyes, looking up at him. Kai looked away and went back to the movie. Grinning softly, she hugged his arm and closed her eyes again. She felt his chest rumble from the annoyed sound he made, and poked him in the waist from where she was, in a motion for him to be quiet.

Celina glanced over to the two and smiled softly.

* * *

"Tired?" Shaorin asked when Naomi yawned. The copper haired girl nodded.

"Can't get enough sleep on planes."

She shrugged, "I seem to sleep fine on planes."

"Of course you would, with a pillow like that," Celina smirked. Shaorin blushed.

"What?" Naomi frowned in confusion.

"It's nothing," Shaorin said quickly, covering Celina's mouth with her hand.

Naomi shook Shaorin by the shoulders. "Tell me!"

"Gah!" Shaorin held her head trying to make the world stop spinning so fast.

"What happened? Don't keep me in the dark here!" Naomi pleaded Celina.

"Should I?" Celina smirked.

"Oh _no_ you don't! I've still got the photo, miss," Shaorin motioned to her bag.

Celina frowned and sighed, "Fine…"

"What? What photo? What are you talking about?" Naomi wailed. Shaorin laughed awkwardly, trying to inch away from her friend.

* * *

The two teams managed to get out of the airport and arrive at their hotel after Naomi had calmed down from her breakdown. They picked out their rooms and settled down before dinner.

This time they no longer had the common room-type of suite, so instead everyone got their own ordinary rooms with connecting doors to every two.

Shaorin placed the last article of clothing into the closet before stuffing the empty suitcase into the floor of the closet. Glancing around the room, she caught sight of the door that connected her room to someone else's. Curious to see who was on the other side, she quietly crept over. But she hadn't predicted on finding her missing shoes lying on the floor in front of the bed…

**THUMP**

"Oww…" she moaned, nursing her toe. The click of the door caught her attention and she looked up to see Kai standing in the doorway of his room to hers. Shaorin looked up at him, blinking in innocence.

"You tripped…**again**?" the crimson eyed male sighed. Shaorin grinned sheepishly.

"I swear you were built with two left feet…"

"Hey! If I had two left feet then I wouldn't have danced with you last time, now would I?" she defended, before realizing what she had said.

'_Oops…'_ Why did she bring up that embarrassing topic again?

An awkward silence fell over them as Shaorin looked away to hide her blush. There was no blush showing on Kai's face but he still looked a little…uncomfortable.

"Uh…so…when's dinner?" Shaorin meekly changed the subject.

"In an hour."

"Alright then, I'll um…unpack some more," she lied, getting up from the floor to close the door. As her hand reached the knob, another one enclosed on top of her. Her eyes rested on their hands, soon intertwined, more blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Come visit somewhere with me," Kai said, almost commandingly.

"But my stuff…I need to unpack…"

"Your suitcase is empty," he stated dryly. Shaorin mentally smacked herself.

"Alright then, fine," she replied hastily. Kai smirked; it was easy to get her flustered, especially when someone could see through her.

* * *

"Where are we going again?"

Shaorin asked, from behind the slate haired boy, being taken or rather _dragged_ to their destination.

"…You'll see."

Shaorin pouted, she hated waiting. She was being pulled down the familiar streets of Moscow, but somehow she didn't remember where she was going. But what irked her most was the helicopter that they had just stopped in front of.

"Kai…you don't mean we're going to…?"

"Come on."

"No," Shaorin shook her head, trying to pull away from his grasp.

"Rin…"

"No! I don't want to go…" she protested.

"You're coming, whether you like it or not," Kai replied, picking her up bridal style and climbing onto the aircraft. He nodded to the pilot and the loud noises drowned out Shaorin's voice.

She gripped onto his shirt tightly.

"Why are we going back?"

"Don't…you want to see Tala and the rest of them?"

"Yes, but why there?"

"Because, they're training there?" Kai muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, but still-…"

"Just shut up for a bit," Kai was tempted to just leave her in the snow, best friend or not, but he couldn't since he was supposed to bring her to see their red-headed companion.

Shaorin was silent the rest of the way.

* * *

"We're here sir," the pilot announced as they landed.

Kai nodded, "I'll call you after to take us back." He stood up with Shaorin still in his arms and jumped onto the white snowy ground. Once they were on flat ground again, he let Shaorin stand up again.

"Come," he motioned for her to follow. Muttering incoherent words under her breath, she grudgingly went after him.

They walked for a short distance across the snowy plains before reaching the gates to the Abbey.

Pushing the gates in a swift movement, Kai stepping in, turning around to wait for the hazel eyed girl. Shaorin inhaled a deep breathe before continuing on.

"You alright?"

"Yah, I'm fine."

"You're a little pale…" Kai commented.

"I'm just fine."

"If you say so."

The two continued on into the building as Kai led her through the turning and twisting corridors. Shaorin was beginning to lose track of where they were going when they finally stopped in front of a pair of heavy double doors.

"Rin…you want?" Kai motioned to the doors. Stepping forward, she pushed them open, revealing a room that contained a few blading dishes, and a whole lot of high-tech equipment with adults donning white lab coats shuffling through the room. But what caught her eye the most was the red haired boy and his companions standing in the middle of the room, training.

"Tala!" Shaorin grinned. Said red head inclined his head to the door in surprise.

"Shaorin? Kai?" He stopped what he was doing, "But we weren't expecting you for a few days!"

"Well we're here anyways so deal with it," Shaorin laughed, overjoyed to see him. She ran up and let herself be caught up in an embrace.

"Hey Shaorin, don't forget about us," Ian smirked. Letting go of Tala, she whirled around to smile.

"Now how could I forget about you, Pinocchio?" she giggled, hugging the boy.

"Pink Pixie…" he muttered. Sticking her tongue out at him she went over to hug both Brian and Spencer.

"I missed you people!" she squealed. The three smirked.

"Though I'll never forget the pranks you pulled on me when I was a kid…" Shaorin eyed them. Ian whistled, Brian was looking up at the ceiling, Spencer had a blank look and Tala hid a smirk.

"But it was entertaining," Tala grinned wolfishly.

"Yeah for you! But you're not the one who gets drench in water on every Saturday morning," Shaorin pointed out.

"But you had your revenge!" Ian protested. It was Shaorin's turn to smirk.

"Oh yes, of course," she giggled. Ian was right, she **did** have her revenge. There were times like when she replaced Tala's hair gel with Silly Putty and changed all four of their shampoos into hair dye. It was all old stuff, but satisfying nonetheless. She had even tried sneaking into their rooms at night and using black markers to draw on their faces. Ahhh, the fun. They had come out of their rooms the next morning, some donning squiggly marks and black rings around their eyes, horrid black like 'blush', happy faces, the works. Shaorin had even thought about using pink, blue and green highlighters, but she thought that black would stay longer maybe.

Kai smirked at the vague memory of walking out the door and seeing his friends covered in blue. Why? Shaorin of course. Body soap was changed into blue dye.

"Are you hungry?" Ian suddenly asked, "We're done training here anyways, so we can go grab a bite to eat."

"Hm?" Shaorin remembered then remembered dinner with the others," Oh we're eating with the others…but I'm sure you can come anyways, right Kai?"

"Hn…not my decision to make," he replied.

"It's okay then, we don't wanna intrude," Tala shook his head.

"No really, come eat with us!" Shaorin tugged on his arm persistently.

"If you're sure, then fine."

Bryan nodded.

"I don't think we'd all fit in the helicopter though…" Shaorin thought aloud, she glanced at Kai meaningfully.

"I'll arrange for a car to pick us up, or you can," he tossed her his cell.

"Alright."

Shaorin left the guys to themselves.

"So how are things going along with Rin? I thought she was pissed off or something," Tala smirked at his best friend.

"She got over it."

"Okay and the carrying her around part?" Kai ignored the question.

"You guys are going out now, right?" Bryan laughed.

"That's none of your business," Kai answered calmly.

"Dammnit man, it's hard to pry information out of you," Ian sighed. Kai smirked.

"I'm ba-ack," Shaorin said in a sing-song voice, "The cars coming in a bit so I think I'll explore the place for now." She grinned and stepped into a random door.

"Shaorin…that's the custodian's closet," Spencer told her flatly.

"Oh…I knew that!" she giggled, closing the door again and sweeping down another hall.

"She has an incredibly bad sense of direction…" Kai muttered before following after her.

* * *

'_Hm…let's see, right, left, straight, right, another right, straight, door… Yeah, I think that's it…'_ Shaorin shook her head, trying to figure out where she had gone and **how** to get back.

"Lost much?" Kai asked boredly, leaning against the door frame.

"Kai!" she blushed at the fact that he found her every time she was in a predicament like this.

"Come, I'll show you something."

He headed down the opposite hallway, stopping only to see if she was behind him, and indeed she was.

"Where are you taking me to?"

"You'll see."

* * *

At long last, after even more lefts, rights and doors they finally stood outside in a courtyard. And in the middle of the courtyard stood the willow tree. **Their** willow tree.

A familiar feeling sent a shiver down Shaorin's spine. She hadn't been here for a long time but the memories were still embedded in her mind clearly.

"Why did you take me here?" Kai didn't answer but instead knelt down in front of the tree and used his hand to dig at the ground. He began to form a hole until her reached a small box. Taking it out, he brushed off all the dirt and handed it to Shaorin.

"For me?" Kai nodded. Gingerly, she opened the box and found a small ring band made of silver with her name engraved on it.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Here," he held his hand out to take the ring. Brushing Shaorin's hair away from her neck, he unclasped her locket and slipped on the ring onto the chain.

"It's so nice Kai!" Shaorin smiled, hugging him tightly.

"I was planning to give it to you 2 years ago when we're supposed to meet here."

"It doesn't matter, I still love it just the same." She leaned over to kiss him gently. He held her closer as she reached up to enclose her arms around his neck. They pulled apart for air but neither made a move to step away. Shaorin snuggled into his hold, breathing in his scent; a musky pine.

"Shaorin! Kai!" the familiar voice of Tala called them out of their moment. Quickly they pulled away before Tala could see them.

"What are you two doing here?" the redhead asked slyly.

Shaorin blushed,

"Visiting the old tree?" It wasn't all a lie was it?

"Heh, sure," Tala smirked. Kai showed indifference to what they were saying.

"Honestly Tala!" Shaorin threw her arms in the air.

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Hiwatari," Tala mocked. The hazel eyed girl stiffened.

"What?" she exclaimed finally.

"Gotta run," Tala chuckled and took off back into the building.

"Tala Ivanov!" Shaorin shouted, chasing after him. Groaning, Kai went after her.

* * *

"I (**pant**) give up, you win this time, Tal," Shaorin gasped, collapsing onto the snowy ground.

"Come to your senses I see," he grinned faintly, joining her only slightly winded though. And then Kai came after them, jogging.

"Hi!" Rin chirped, looking up at the looming figure of the blue haired boy.

"You're in pathetic shape, Rin. I'm training you to run more laps starting tomorrow."

Shaorin's jaw fell. "W-what?" her voice wavered.

"I'm training you to run more laps starting tomorrow," Kai repeated. Shaorin didn't know whether to be angry or scared. She chose the former…

* * *

About half an hour later, Kai was adorning a new bruise on his arm, more handprints around his neck and one hell of a headache. He had his arms cross, eyeing Shaorin plainly. Her? Oh, she was being held back by Tala, who was trying to keep down a chuckle. She grinned smugly at the damage.

"For goodness sakes Kai, just do something to calm her down!" Tala shouted finally, when Shaorin was trying to wriggle out of his hold.

Sighing, the slate haired boy strode over and tilted the shorter girl's chin, before swooping down for a long lingering kiss. Tala's eyes widened and let go of Shaorin.

"Ugh…keep your love life somewhere where I **can't** see it!" he commented and headed back to where the others were.

Kai smirked against her lips.

"Calm yet?" he remarked, after pulling away.

"Calm enough…" she sighed.

"I think we should be going back to the teams now, don't you?"

"Okay!" she chirped, smiling again.

"You know…you have a strong punch," he said before adding, "for a girl." Shaorin's expression hardened.

"Shut up before I hit you again."

"I'm so scared," Kai muttered sarcastically. Shaorin growled.

* * *

After piling into the white limo Shaorin had requested for and an extremely long ride with Tala grinning tauntingly at Shaorin and Kai every few minutes they **finally** reached the restaurant the rest of the RebelBladers and BladeBreakers were at.

"Afternoon, miss. Are there reservations made for you?" the waiter asked politely.

"Yes, under the name Hiwatari," she answered. Kai raised an eyebrow at her; he didn't remember calling any restaurant for reservations.

"Ah yes, the rest of your party is already seated, please come this way," he gestured for them to follow.

"Hey Shao, Kai!" Celina waved when she spotted them.

"Hi," the amber haired girl smiled back, seating herself beside the ruby eyed teen. Kai and the Demolition Boys sat on her other side.

"So who are you?" Celina smiled coyly at Tala.

"Tala, Tala Ivanov."

"Ah, I see, I'm Celina Inoshi, heir to the Inoshi Corporation."

Celina turned to Shaorin.

"You never told me your friends were such hotties." She whispered.

"Well you never asked!"

"Good point."

The RebelBladers seemed fine with the Demolition Boys eating with them but the BladeBreakers excluding Kai begged to differ. Tyson sat rigid in his seat, eyeing Tala suspiciously. How could a girl with a sweet (cough) personality like Shaorin know "evil" guys like the Demolition Boys?

"Didn't expect to see you guys here," Ray finally broke the ice. Bryan turned to look at him; his piercing violet eyes sent a shiver down Ray's spine, remembering their last encounter at the world tournaments.

"Something the matter?" Naomi asked, confused at their reactions.

"No, it's nothing," Max assured, not wanting them to get involved.

"Alright then if you say so…" Naomi nodded, eating her pasta again. Beside her, Tyson shot a look at Tala that said 'don't you dare do anything…'

Tala ignored him, focusing his attention back on Celina who was chatting away happily.

"So how long have you known Kai and Shaorin?" she asked.

"About 8 years…"

"Oh." Neither said anything and Celina was beginning to be nervous.

"He went to the Abbey at about 8 years old," Shaorin added, noticing the silence, "and I trained there too, but I quit and instead just hung around the place. It's not as if the guards could've done anything to me anyways, they know who I am and the consequences."

"So does the same go for Tala and Kai?" Celina asked curiously. Tala flinched slightly at the question as Kai's expression didn't change but his eyes darkened.

"Unfortunately…no."

"No?"

"You see…well, I'd rather not say," Shaorin shook her head.

"Oh, fine then, I won't ask," she nodded, not wanting to pry into other's secrets.

Shaorin glanced at her two guy friends who sent her a look of gratitude and partly annoyance that she had brought up the subject.

"Well, sorry-y," she muttered under her breath darkly.

* * *

"Why are you guys here?" Tyson confronted the Demolition Boys after lunch and after they'd left.

"What do you mean why?" Ian snapped, "Is it against the laws to talk to old team mates?"

"Not Kai, Shaorin and the other girls," Ray said.

"They're friends okay? And we don't even know the rest of the RebelBladers. Besides, Shaorin was once part of our team too," Tala rolled his eyes.

"Why'd we even **want **to hurt you? You're not even worth our time, in or out of the stadium," Brian sneered.

"Heh, you wish," Tyson rubbed his nose.

"Just don't harm anyone, okay?" Max stated.

Spencer snorted, "Idiots."

Ian smirked, "You really had no clue did you?"

"What?" Kenny blinked.

"We're not officially part of the Demolition Boys anymore now that Voltaire has been sentenced to jail."

"So…does that mean you're part of the good guys now?" Tyson asked slowly.

"Maybe," Tala smirked, "but don't expect us to be all friendly with you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ray grinned.

"Talaaaa!" Shaorin chirped, running towards them.

"Yeah?"

"You ready to head back yet?"

"Fine, let's go," Tala answered.

"'Till next time, Ivanov," Tyson waved. Tala nodded at him, following after Shaorin with the rest of the Demolition Boys.

"What was that all about?" Rin asked curiously.

"Nothing, just stuff," Ian answered her.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Nothing that would concern you, pixie."

"Ergh…stupid Pinocchio!" Bryan and Spencer snickered at the two arguing while Tala shook his head.

* * *

End Chapter 14

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011

(1) In 2011, this sounds weird in the age of mp3s and iPods... and it makes me feel old.


	15. Taken

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 15: Taken**

Disclaimer: I do not own Byblade.

* * *

"Aww… Pleeeease?" Shaorin tugged at Kai's jacket sleeve.

"It's winter Shaorin, it's fucking cold and windy, why would you want an ice cream cone?" he stated dryly.

"But Kai-"

"No," Kai said in a 'that's final' tone. Shaorin looked up at him blinkingly, her hazel eyes threatened to tear up and her bottom lip quivered.

* * *

"You're as stubborn as a mule," Kai grumpily muttered, eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Nope, I'm just persistent."

Shaorin grinned cheekily, licking her chocolate ice cream.

"Not to mention a chocolate addict."

"Hey, chocolate's good! There's nothing wrong with liking chocolate!"

"Until you become addicted to it, that is."

"You're impossible, Hiwatari. Here," she offered the cone to him, "try it."

Arching his slate brows, reluctantly he gave a small lick. Shaorin watched him curiously.

"So? Gonna die yet?" she asked.

He shrugged, "It's okay."

"Yay!"

"I prefer you though," he smirked, and Shaorin stopped grinning.

"Huh?" that's all that escaped her mouth before she felt his lips on her own. Shaorin melted into his arms, dropping the cone altogether. He finally pulled away and Shaorin blushed brightly.

"You taste better," he reiterated. She reddened even more.

"We'd better get back to the hotel then, ne?" Shaorin changed the subject.

He held her hand passively in his, "Let's go."

"You know….Celina and Tala make a pretty cute couple don't you think?" Shaorin asked out of the blue as they walked past the many lit up streetlights. Slate brows rose up once again.

"You're not going to be playing cupid. Even if you are, I'm not going to involve myself in any way," Kai stated plainly.

"Who said anything about match-making? I only asked a question," she commented innocently, and turned so that she was facing him, though walking backwards.

Kai snorted, "But it's obvious you're going to try and set them up."

"Do I really seem that obvious, Mr. Hiwatari?" she asked almost coyly.

"More than you know," he said smoothly. Shaorin laughed good-naturedly.

"Hey," she said when she calmed down again, "you know that man behind you," Kai inclined his head slightly to glance at the aforesaid man, "hasn't he been behind us for a while now?"

Shaorin watched the man nervously. He was dressed in a business-like suit with a pair of dark shades so that she wasn't sure where he was looking at.

"Just keep walking and stop staring." Kai advised. Meekly, she turned around again, faintly aware of the man staring at her.

* * *

"_Just keep walking and don't look back," Kai mumbled under his breath. Shaorin gave a curt nod and did as he instructed. The ten year old girl grabbed his hand, clearly frightened by the burly man following them._

"_Now, run." Letting out a squeak, Shaorin broke out into a run after Kai, still clutching onto his hand. Aware of the change in pace, the man followed them quickly._

_Kai sped up and led the way back to the Abbey, where once they passed the gates, he let go of Shaorin's hand and allowed her to catch her breath._

"_Wh-Who was he?" she choked, turning back to peer at the man who was now being held back by the Abbey guards._

_The young blue haired boy narrowed his eyes, "Whoever he is, he can't hurt us anymore." Shaorin nodded fervently. A smirk grew on his lips. _

"_You run too slowly."_

"_Oh…shut up…" Shaorin groaned._

* * *

"Come on," Kai murmured, and tugged on her arm to pick up the pace. Following after him, she felt a sense of déjà vu. After they crossed the street a block away from their Hotel, Shaorin turned around to see their stalker right before she stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Watch it," Kai pulled her off the streets and she ended up crashing into him right before a vehicle passed them when the light turned green and the man was stranded on the other side.

Feeling a rush of relief, Rin breathed out.

"Let's get back to our rooms, now!" Shaorin urged, turning towards the direction of the hotel. Nodding, Kai sent another glance towards the man who was now speaking on his cell phone before running after Shaorin.

* * *

"_That_, was just scary," Shaorin shuddered, flopping down onto her bed.

Kai leaned onto the door frame that connected their rooms, "Hn, it's not like you haven't tried something like this before."

"But you can't get _used_ to stalkers, yah know?" the hazel eyed girl laughed, staring up at the ceiling. Her auburn hair spread out on the covers of the still made bed.

"There'd be something wrong with you if you did," Kai commented.

"No duh?"

"Hey you!" a higher pitched voice shouted from Shaorin's door. Startled, Shaorin glanced over, and saw Celina standing there pointing a finger at Shaorin jokingly.

"Hey, yourself," Shaorin grinned.

"Anyways, are you guys coming down to the hotel buffet?"

"Sure," Shaorin answered before Kai could say anything.

"Alright then, we're leaving in 10," Celina nodded, and left. Kai sent Shaorin a cross look.

"No arguments, you're coming whether you like it or not," Shaorin said, sitting up.

"Yes, _princess_," Kai scoffed.

"My lord, you are excused," she went along, "Now go and take a walk or something!"

"Your highness, I bid you farewell," he smirked, closing the door behind him.

"Bye, Kai-_sama_!" Shaorin laughed.

* * *

Kai did what Shaorin had said, and took a brisk walk around the perimeters of the hotel.

He slid his hand into one of the pockets on his navy winter jacket and felt something like a plastic card inside. Confused, he took it out and saw it to be the photo that Shaorin and he had taken when they were still in Canada, right after they had gotten to an understanding. Celina had secretly snapped it and given it to him afterwards.

Her arms were around his waist as she leaned into his and smiled cheerfully. His own arms were draped around her shoulders with an almost smile touching his lips.

You could have easily mistaken them for a couple or an item, but Kai wasn't sure where they were anymore, relationship wise. They were technically dating, but still felt like just friends, it was more like a mutual understanding about each other.

He let his mind dwell on those thoughts for a moment. They'd known each other for so long, before being separated when Shaorin had moved away. He remembered her being one of the small handful of girls accepted into the Abbey when he had been first brought there.

* * *

_Kai glared at the ground as he sat in the corners of the Abbey. His parents had made him come, saying that it would be good for him. But what good would it do him if they didn't let him Beyblade like all the other kids? _

_He watched enviously as a group of older children launched blades against each other. He wanted to be up there with them. Kai was sure that he could Beyblade just like the other kids!_

"_Are you Kai?" a high pitched voice chirped cheerily. Kai turned his head to see a sapphire eyed girl standing over him, with jet black hair tied into a ponytail._

"_Yes, what's it to you." He sneered at the girl who could have been no older than 5, a year younger than him._

"_I was trying to be nice," the girl whimpered, walking away from him._

"_I don't need girls like you," he muttered under his breath._

"_Hey, that wasn't very nice," a new voice exclaimed. Kai turned again to spot another girl with hazel eyes and long auburn hair tied to the side. Her arms akimbo as she frowned at him, "She was only trying to be nice to you. You didn't have to be so mean!" Kai sneered at her. What did she know?_

"_Girls are dumb," he stated._

"_Argh," her temper flared, "You big meanie!" _

"_I bet you can't even Beyblade properly," Kai crossed his arms._

"_Yes I can!" she defended._

"_Yah, right," he snorted, as she marched away angrily._

* * *

_A few days later, Kai had already forgotten about the incident, and carried on with his usual studies. He was just on his way back to his dorm when he rounded a corner and heard a whole bunch of voices._

"_Go away!" a voice squealed, a stream of laughter followed it._

"_She's so weak, she probably couldn't even launch into the dish, right," someone laughed cruelly._

"_I guess she won't need this then," another person joined in before Kai heard a muffled crunch and then the sound of someone bursting into tears. The slate haired boy turned at the next corner to see the same girl who was shouting at him before and along with two other boys whom he knew to be in one of his classes._

_The hazel eyed girl was stood crying by the wall, her baby blue Beyblade was in pieces at the foot of one of the boys._

"_Leave her alone," Kai shouted at them. The boys looked at him and smirked._

"_It's two against one, Hiwatari, you can't win," one of them said._

"_Just leave and you won't get hurt," the other advised._

"_Yeah right," he muttered, and punched one of them in the face._

"_Ouch!" he yelped in pain, getting up from the ground._

"_Come one, Dean, let's go and tell Boris that he hit me," the one who was injured mumbled, running away and pulled is friend along._

"_Are you alright?" Kai asked her, once they left. The girl didn't answer him, and knelt down to pick up the pieces of what was her Beyblade._

"_Hello? I asked you a question."_

"_I'm fine okay? And anyways, why would you care? You think girls are dumb," she snapped._

"_Well, sorry for trying to be _nice_," he rolled his eyes._

"_Nice? As if you could be nice, meanie," she stuck her tongue out at him. Kai glanced at her expression and laughed out loud._

"_What are _you_ laughing at," she pouted._

"_You, weirdo."_

"_Hey, I'm not weird," she protested, "My name's Shaorin and I'm a normal girl!"_

"_Kai."_

"_What?"_

"_My name's Kai," he rolled his eyes at her lack of understanding._

"_Oh, so you're Voltaire's grandson," Shaorin nodded in understanding._

"_Yeah, whatever," he shrugged reaching his hand out to help her up. She happily accepted, and got to her feet._

"_So what are you going to do about your Beyblade now?" Kai asked, curious, noting the pieces now in her palms._

"_I don't know," she shrugged, "I think I'm going to ask my daddy for a new one."_

"_Oh."_

"_My daddy is a very important person you know!"_

"_Yeah, sure," he answered indifferently._

"_You're weird Kai," she grinned toothily, "But I still like you." She shyly kissed him on the cheek and ran off in the other direction. Kai stood rigid. No one had ever kissed him before, apart from his parents and even then he was reluctant. _

"_Weirdo," he mumbled under his breath and kept on walking, with his hands in his pocket and a faint blush on his cheeks._

* * *

Kai chuckled softly. Shaorin _had_ always been sort of intriguing. She didn't really care much about what other people thought of her when she was little. But now that she had grown up, she seemed a tad more mature and quiet.

But he liked her the way she was. Even if she was "weird" to him still at times.

"Kai," the sound of Tyson shouting his name, broke him out of his thoughts and he found himself back in the front of the hotel where he had started.

"What?" he growled in annoyance.

"We were waiting for you to show up, everyone's waiting. Except for Shaorin who's supposedly in the restroom I think, now that I think about it, it's been a while since we saw her too," Tyson trailed off. Kai then remembered the man who'd been following them that day.

"How long ago did she leave?"

"Um…almost half an hour or 20 minutes," Tyson answered.

"Shit," Kai cursed, "Get Celina to check the bathroom."

"Alright," Tyson said, bewildered.

Once Tyson left, Kai sprinted into the elevator and pressed the '3' button for their floor. Once the doors opened, he dashed over to Shaorin's room and opened the door.

The heavy oak door opened to reveal a completely empty room, with no sign of Shaorin anywhere except for her blue jacket, which had been left on the bed.

Kai groaned in frustration and took the elevator back down to the restaurant again.

He spotted Celina and Tyson who stood in front of the entrance, "Is she there?"

"No."

"Fuck," he muttered, punching the wall.

"Kai, what's the matter?" Celina asked.

"There was someone following us today when we came back, he took her. I'm sure of it." Celina didn't know what to say. Shaorin? Kidnapped? This is _just_ what they needed.

"Oh God…" she whispered. Her hands found her pockets instinctively and suddenly remembered something.

"Here Kai," she handed him Shaorin's cell phone which she had found on the tiled floor of the restroom.

He took the phone and slipped it into the pocket of his pants. "Keep it in case anyone calls. I'll go explain to the others of what happened."

Kai nodded, as the two left. Feeling under the weather, he trudged back up to his room.

Dammnit, how could he have been so careless and let them take her? Where had they taken her?

And at that exact moment, a soft tune emitted from the device in Kai's pocket. Quickly, he took it out to find a text message that would hopefully lead him to Shaorin.

**She's with us in the forest behind the Abbey. Meet us at 7:30, no later, no sooner. Bring no one else.**

Kai scanned the short message a few more times. The Abbey? He glanced at the clock. 7:02. He had almost half an hour to get there. That would be hopefully enough time.

* * *

"Who the heck are you?" Shaorin screamed, she had been blindfolded and tied around her arms to the chair.

"Who we are is no matter to you, my dear," a cold voice chuckled. The voice was quite familiar, but Shaorin couldn't remember who it was.

"Well, whoever you are, you won't get away with this," she growled in an almost Kai-like manner.

"That's what they all say, I'm afraid." A hand gripped her chin and she could feel a hot breathe over her face. Shaorin wanted to puke.

"Get away," she struggled out of his grasp and kicked wildly. But she kicked at nothing but thin air. A shiver ran up her spine as a cold wind blew by. She wasn't wearing her jacket, but only jeans and a sweater over her t-shirt.

"Bastards," she muttered.

"Don't worry sugar, we won't hurt you," a high pitched voice giggled from beside her.

"Only if you join us that is," the same cold voice said.

"Join you? No way, you can't make me!"

"Oh but on the contrary, my dear, we can. As long we have the right bait," the man sneered.

The winds picked up as a helicopter came through, hovering over top of them.

"And here he comes," the man said, and ripped off her blindfolds. Shaorin blinked, taking in her surroundings. She was in the middle of an unfamiliar forest with 4 males and one female. Great.

"Boris?" her eyes widened.

"Of course my dear," he chuckled evilly.

"But...but, you're supposed to be in jail!"

"It's a wonder what a little bribe can do for you, child."

"Ergh…bastard," she hissed, bringing her attention back to the helicopter. A ladder was strung out from the hatch and climbing down. It was…Kai?

"Kai, what the hell are you doing here?" she cried. Oh great, this was just _great._

"Rescuing you," he stated simply.

"I don't think so, Kai," Boris sorted.

"What do you want, you creep? I'm here, now let her go."

"Ah, but I can't do that Kai."

"And why is that?"

"Because, you are no longer the pawn we need for this plan, but merely a tool for persuading."

"So what? You're now manipulating helpless little girls?" Kai smirked, Shaorin frowned at the reference.

"You've been recruited once Kai and all that came as a result was Voltaire and I both in jail. I won't be making that mistake again."

"You're not taking Shaorin away from me," Kai stood his ground.

"Aww, young love, how cute," the girl beside Shaorin with aqua blue hair cooed. Her crimson ruby eyes (1) giggled with mirth.

"We'll see about that," Boris nodded, "Garland, Crusher, you know what to do."

Two boys appeared beside Kai, one of them was lean and muscular with a long grey coloured ponytail. The other boy was bulky with tanned skin and intricate markings on the left side of his face. Both held baseball bats in their hands.

"Let's play a game Kai, if you don't fight back, your Shaorin will not be harmed." Kai growled, glancing over at Shaorin who had a saddened look on her face. Another boy with light spiky blonde hair stood beside Shaorin, he had a gun in one hand and his face covered by a mask. He raised the gun up and held it beside Shaorin's temple.

Shaorin closed her eyes in fear and Kai swore under his breath.

"Fine."

* * *

End of Chapter 15

* * *

Revised: May 30, 2011

Notes: Yes, I did watch too many dramas when I was younger... still do actually.


	16. Amnesia

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 16: Amnesia**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. 'Cept the RebelBladers.

Shaorin: Hey! You don't own me!

MK: Of course I do.

Shaorin: No!

MK: Yes!

Shaorin: No!

MK: No! You belong to Kai!

Shaorin: Yes! Huh? Hey!

MK: Hey to you too. _Evil grin_

_

* * *

_

"Fine"

"Good, now how about we put on a little show for the lady here," Boris smirked and signalled Garland and Crusher.

Nodding, the two boys began hitting Kai with the baseball bats repeatedly.

"Kai!" Shaorin's eyes widened in horror as she watched him get back up to his feet. Just as he got up, Garland struck him again and sent him back down.

But Kai wouldn't give up; time and time again he would stagger back to his feet until he began to feel incredibly numb.

By now tears were streaming down Shaorin's cheeks. Even Ming Ming winced.

"So, Shaorin my dear, how would you like to join us now?" Boris smirked, turning to her, "It's joining us, or his life."

"Don't Shaorin," Kai shouted hoarsely, before being beaten down again. He coughed and blood trickled from his mouth.

"But Kai, I…" Shaorin began, but couldn't finish as she saw his broken form. His legs felt numb and painful, causing him to unable to stand any longer.

"No, I can't…I can't betray my team, my friends, my cousin," Shaorin shook her head.

"You _will_ reconsider Shaorin Kimoto," Boris stated, his hand resting on another chair beside her.

"No! I won't let you hurt anyone I love, even if you do kill Kai, you will pay for it," She shouted, thinking more logically. Agitated, Boris grabbed the chair his hand rested upon and dashed towards Kai in fury.

"Kai!" Shaorin gasped, she got up and brought the chair along with her, running to the slate haired teenager in a fast pace. She collapsed over him just as the chair came in contact behind her, smashing both pieces of furniture.

"I give up Boris; you can have your way. I'll join our team," she decided.

"Good to know you finally see thing my way," Boris said suavely, "I'll will allow you to take him back to where you wish before you return with us." And with that, he left the two alone.

"Kai?" she mumbled, nudging him gently. Kai groaned, his vision blurry from the pain.

"Are you alright?"

"You jerk, _I_ should be the one asking you that. Look at you, you're a mess," Shaorin scolded him with concern. She slipped her hands out from the now loose ropes and wiped the blood on his face away with a tissue.

Kai winced, "I'm a mess? Look at what you've gotten yourself into."

"Shut up," Shaorin looked away, "I can't let him seriously kill you."

Kai sighed, but it came out as more of a wheeze.

"Are you alright?" she asked again, turning him over to his side, and rubbed his back.

"Just great," he muttered sarcastically.

"Jerk," she muttered with a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. With difficulty, she shifted his position so that his head rested on her lap. Shaorin brushed a strand of hair away from his face. Kai closed his eyes tiredly.

Shaorin saddened suddenly at the thought of having to leave everyone and joined the creep of a scientist, Boris. A lone tear trailed down her cheek and landed on Kai.

"Don't cry."

"Hm? I'm not crying," she brushed her tears away.

"We'll get you back, if it's the last thing we do…" Shaorin giggled at his rare softness in tone. Leaning over, she kissed him on the lips, not wanting to leave. Kai returned it with equal yearning. Reluctantly they broke apart for air.

"Remember that I love you, no matter what," she smiled, though he couldn't see it with his eyes shut.

"Hn…"

"Come Shaorin, it's time to leave," Boris called from the car.

"I'll take you back to the Hotel to find Ray and the others," Shaorin whispered.

"Don't go."

"I'm sorry Kai, I can't. I can't risk you getting any more hurt than you already are."

* * *

The trip back to the hotel was quiet and uneasy. Boris had sent Shaorin, Kai and the rest of the team into one limo while he occupied another.

No one really wanted to speak, either they were disinterested or didn't want to ruin the silence. Shaorin kept glancing out the window and then back at Kai who rested on her lap, a troubled look on her face.

Ming Ming glanced at the two every so often with a piteous expression. She felt sorry for those two to have to be separated, and not to mention they look so cute together. Shaorin caught her eye and Ming Ming smiled warmly. A rush of relief rushed over Shaorin, knowing there was at least _one_ kind person in the team she was about to adhere.

But Shaorin's relief soon disappeared as the hotel came into view. Her grip on Kai's arm tightened and Kai winced. Alarmed, Shaorin mouthed a small "sorry".

Shaorin felt her stomach churn as they pulled up in front of the building. Pushing Kai away from her lap, she reluctantly got out of the door and helped Kai stand. Mistel also followed making sure that she wouldn't run away.

Shaorin felt her eyes brim with tears again as she helped the crimson eyed boy to the door. She knew that she was at least lucky enough to be able to bring him back to the others. But she was scared of what she was doing. Her life had never been this shocking except for when her mother had passed away and she had started a life in stardom.

Once they approached the door Mistel spoke, "That's the farthest you can take him."

"But…" Shaorin looked back at an attendant who was just about to go out and assist another person.

"Hey you," she called to him. The bellboy looked confused when he walked over to her. Well, she was with a very beat up guy after all.

"Please, take him to Ray Kon. Just ask the front desk for me."

"A-alright," he nodded, adjusting to Kai's weight leaning on him.

"Thanks," she smiled softly, "Sayonara…Kai." She kissed him on the cheek and turned to leave with Mistel. But she didn't dare look back.

* * *

Shaorin was driven to an unknown place in the sub-urbs. They had stopped in front of an enormous building that's architect was quite impressive. Wordlessly, she followed everyone else in.

She found herself being lead into a room where there were many machines and computers. There were also a handful of scientists in white lab coats rushing around the room.

One of them came up to Boris, "Sir, we are ready to begin."

"Excellent, start now."

"Over here," the man in the coat pointed over to a metal table with straps attached to it. Mistel and Garland each took one of her arms and took her there.

She was told to lie down, and when she did she was tied down.

"What the hell is going on?" Shaorin asked. Ming Ming looked at her sadly.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"Ming Ming is right," Boris said, "We are just erasing some unnecessary memories from you."

"What? But you can't do that!" she shouted.

"Ahhh, but we can." And with that a needle was injected into Shaorin, before she could count to ten she already knocked unconscious.

* * *

"_Hello?" Shaorin called timidly into the darkness. She couldn't see where she was going or even her toes for that matter._

"_Anyone?" A figure now stood beside her, their face veiled by the dark shadows._

"_Who is it?" she asked. Upon hearing her voice, the person looked up._

"_Ray! What are you doing here?" she gasped, running up to him. Ray merely smiled and stroked her head before disappearing into thin air._

"_Ray?" she reached out into emptiness. Just as Ray had done before, a new figure stood in front of her._

"_Who are you?" Shaorin took a step closer, but the person drifted farther back. She took another step and the same thing happened._

"_Stop it! Stop leaving! Come back!" she cried as he too drifted away. The last thing she could remember was crimson eyes._

* * *

Shaorin gasped as she sat up from her bed. Beads of cold sweat trickled from her forehead. A large hand was placed on her smaller ones and she snapped her head to see who it was.

A boy with spiky ginger hair and aquamarine eyes smiled down at her.

"Who? What?" Shaorin stuttered, pulling her hand back.

The boy leaned closer, "Hush, it's just me, Brooklyn, you're boyfriend." He looked quite uneasy when he said the last part.

"Brooklyn?" she said slowly. The ginger haired boy laughed softly.

"You were hit by Crusher's Beyblade during practice, don't you remember anything?"

"Um…no?" Brooklyn sighed sadly and pulled her towards him. Shaorin's eyes widened, with her head against the material of his white trench coat.

At that moment, the door burst open and in stepped a petite girl.

"Shaorin, are you alright?" Ming Ming asked just as the couple sprang apart.

"I-I'm fine, I guess," she answered bewildered. She was incredibly confused by now. She wasn't sure who these people were, or what she was doing here.

"What's wrong?" Ming Ming sat down beside her.

"She doesn't remember," Brooklyn said simply as if it happens everyday.

"Aww, poor baby. Crusher has a really hard launch."

"Sure." Shaorin said, avoiding both their eyes.

"Lost?" Ming Ming asked helpfully.

"Mhmm…"

"I'll fill you in then, since Boris sent me to check up on you anyways. Oh yah, Garland wants to see you Brooklyn."

"Fine."

"Who's Garland?" Shaorin asked, just as Brooklyn left.

"Him? He's the captain of Team BEGA; you're part of it too. There's also Crusher and Mistel in the group along with me and Brooklyn."

"Oh."

"Okay, so anyways…"

Ming Ming continued to tell Shaorin about how she came to Team BEGA's training center when she was still young, about 10. She'd been training there ever since and had been accepted as an elite blader in the center. Boris was head of the organization, wanting to promote the sport of Beyblading.

While Ming Ming explained to Shaorin, a camera hooked in the corner of the room allowed Boris to view what was going on there.

"Marvellous job, Ming Ming," he said to himself.

"Sir," Mistel spoke up, "Will this plan even work?"

"Why of course Mistel, Shaorin has no idea of who she is or what she is doing. She will gladly take in any information we give her. By erasing her memory of her past, she will give us all her trust." Boris said, "Do you have any objections?"

"No sir."

"Good. Now go and send for Brooklyn, I need to tell him the next part of the plan." Nodding Mistel exited the room.

A few minutes later, Brooklyn appeared at the doorway.

"You called for me?" he smirked lazily.

"You have done a great job, Brooklyn. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks," Brooklyn said not really concerned, but felt uneasiness in him.

"Next you will have to convince her to take Zahra as her bit beast and train her for the upcoming competition."

"Yes sir." Brooklyn eyed the purple-orange blade lying in the corner.

"Sir, may I have this?" he picked it up.

"Take it if you like; we have no use for it." Brooklyn nodded and left.

* * *

"Ming Ming, I have a question…" Shaorin trailed off.

"Ask away!"

"Is Brooklyn…really my boyfriend?" she wanted to know.

"Well," Ming Ming started unsurely, "You're not exactly his girlfriend, but I think you are…if you know what I mean?"

"Um…so, it's…a mutual understanding?" Shaorin said, trying to find the right words.

"Sort of, I guess."

"Alright then," Shaorin smiled.

A knock at the door averted the girls' attention. Whoever was behind the door just opened it themselves when neither of them got up to get it.

Garland appeared, "It's supper."

Ming Ming grinned, "Great, I'm starved!" Shaorin laughed.

"Let's go then," Shaorin tugged on her arm. The stepped around Garland who was waiting for them.

The grey haired boy placed his hand on Shaorin's shoulder, "You feeling okay?"

"I'm alright!" she smiled genuinely.

"That's good to know," he nodded, and glanced at Ming Ming behind her. Ming Ming gave him a small smile. Neither of them really wanted to lie to Shaorin like that, they all thought that Boris was just going too far in order to obtain Bit Beast's powers.

* * *

They arrived at a pair of heavy double doors, and beyond the door were many bladers including the BEGA team. Everyone was scattered across the large cafeteria, but the elite team sat together.

As soon as they sat down, Crusher, Mistel and Brooklyn looked up.

"Hey Shaorin, sorry about the hit," Crusher apologized.

"Sure, no biggie," she shrugged, realising that this was Crusher, the one who'd accidentally hit her with a beyblade, "I don't even feel the bump."

Ming Ming nudged her over to sit beside Brooklyn. Shyly, she slid over beside the ginger haired boy.

"I'll go get your meal too, okay?" Ming Ming winked, "'Cause I don't want you to embarrass yourself if you don't remember where to go."

"Um…thanks?" Shaorin watched the girl prance off with Garland in tow. She sighed softly, and rested her head on the table with her arms underneath.

"Tired?" Mistel asked.

"Mhmm…" she mumbled, rubbing sleepiness away from her eyes.

"That's weird, you slept for almost half a day already," Crusher smirked.

"Hn…yah," Shaorin smiled lazily.

Brooklyn glanced at her, "Luckily, we have no more training after dinner."

"Yay, that means I can sleep," she muttered with no enthusiasm much.

"Lazy bum," Mistel grinned at her.

"No…just energetically handicapped," the hazel eyed girl said solemnly.

"Right," Mistel rolled his eyes.

"We're back!" Ming Ming sing songed.

"Perfect," Shaorin sat back up so that her tray was slid in front of her.

"Not bad for cafeteria food," she shrugged, forking a mouthful of macaroni and cheese.

"You've been eating it for so many years, you should know," Garland chuckled.

"Right." Many years? If it really was that long, why couldn't she remember anything?

* * *

"I can hear my bed calling for me! Now if only I knew where it was," Shaorin mumbled to herself, as she explored the BEGA building after the meal.

"Lost?" someone asked. Shaorin jumped 5 feet into the air.

"Skittish, are you?" Brooklyn chuckled at her.

"Don't scare me like that!" Shaorin gasped.

"Come on," Brooklyn said simply. Hesitantly, she followed him.

"Where are you leading me?" she asked, getting a sense of déjà vu.

"You'll see."

"But Brooklyn, I'm tired," she complained.

He turned and placed an index finger over her lips, "Hush, it's only for a while."

Shaorin pouted, "Fine."

He led her through a series of hallways and down elevators until they reached the outer grounds of the building.

"Wow, the sky's so beautiful," she exclaimed in awe looking up into the midnight sky.

"It is, isn't it," Brooklyn smiled at her childishness. She was cute, he had to admit.

"I could stay out here all night," Shaorin sighed, falling down onto the snowy ground, she was clad in a jacket borrowed from Ming Ming but ignored the cold. Brooklyn sat down beside her, his aquamarine eyes orbs trailing over the stars.

"See, this was worth it," he told her softly. She smiled in agreement.

Brooklyn noticed her shiver, "Cold?" She shook her head defiantly, but Brooklyn placed his trench coat over her body anyways. She thanked him and closed her eyes, listening to the soft chirping of crickets.

She felt a presence loom over her and opened her eyes. To her surprise, Brooklyn was hovering over her. Surprised hazel orbs met serene aquamarine ones. She gasped. Brooklyn lowered his head down more to meet his lips with hers.

Shaorin's eyes widened even more and she pushed him away.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I'm not used to it, and," she stuttered frantically, staring at a lone blade of grass protruding from the white substance.

"Shh, it's okay Shaorin, I understand," Brooklyn lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. Shaorin bit her lip in apology.

"It's alright, we'll take things slowly then," he embraced her, noting how stiff she suddenly went when they came in contact.

"I'm sorry…" He smiled at her timidness and stroked her hair, combing out the tangles with his fingers.

* * *

End Chapter 16

* * *

Yah, this chapter was a little bland, but it was all I could think of at the moment! Sorry! I know that it's a bit pointless. But I just wanted to explain Shaorin's current life as part of team BEGA that she has to adjust to, with fake amnesia and all. Please bear with me!

This _has_ sort of leaned towards G-Revolution, but I'm really not sure about all the details of the battles in the season, so it's probably going to be drastically changed. Brooklyn's just too cute, but psycho. Haha. I've been missing too many episodes of G-Revolution due to classes on Saturday. Hey, I'm like a typical Chinese kid, I have Chinese school and take all these extra lessons! Hahaha… And there aren't many websites for me to look up information of episodes or teams on, so I try to compromise. Please tell me if I have a description on a character wrong! It'd be great help!

Please review!


	17. Who Am I

**-**

**One Life One Love**

**-**

**Chapter 17: Who Am I**

**-**

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade etc.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

"Shaorin, I've been looking all over for you," Ming Ming exclaimed, once she spotted the auburn haired girl sitting on the benches in the training room, observing some of the bladers.

-

"Huh? What is it Ming Ming?" she sighed, feeling especially lazy that day. She was still thinking about Brooklyn and watching the stars with him last night. Could this be love?

-

"Come _on_, girlfriend, Mr. I-don't-need-to-practice is looking for you," Ming Ming emphasized as she tugged her away from the room.

-

"Mr. I-don't-need-to-practice. Who?"

-

"Brooklyn, duh."

-

"You mean he never practices?" she asked incredulously.

-

"Duh, I just said that," Ming Ming shook her head.

-

"Right, where is he?"

-

"In the private training room 'A', go straight down the all and it's the first door on the left, you can't miss it."

-

But obviously, Ming Ming never accounted for Shaorin's extremely poor sense of direction…

-

"Oh shit, now did she say the first or third door?" Shaorin groaned as she stopped in between the two doors. It had been ten minutes since Ming Ming had left her and already she had gone through two wrong corridors and stepped into 5 wrong rooms.

-

After finally giving up, she started all over again at where she'd left Ming Ming.

-

"Argh…someone should have drawn me a map…"

-

"Lost _again?" _Brooklyn chuckled from behind her.

-

"Hey, I can't help it if I suck with directions. I can't even tell north from west!"

-

"That's north, and that's west," Brooklyn said simply, pointing out to behind and beside him.

-

"Smartass," she grumbled.

-

Digging into the pocket of his trench, the ginger haired boy handed her a black and violet blade with a glowing bit chip already in it, "Here."

-

"What's this?" she asked, examining the bit beast in the middle. The creature had long silver hair white coal black eyes. Gray feathery wings protruded from her back and grey-blue markings marred her snow white skin. The bit beast donned a long black robe then ended at her ankles, showing her bare feet. Her hands had sharp nails which could slice through practically anything.

-

"She's Zahra, your bit beast."

-

"_My_ bit beast?" she gasped in awe.

-

"Yes, and obviously that part of your memory is blocked off too. So how about I teach you how to use her properly," he offered.

-

"You? Train? But Ming Ming told me that you have never trained in your life," Shaorin cocked an eyebrow.

-

"Well I'll make an exception this time," he smiled easily.

-

"Oh gee, don't I feel special," the hazel eyed girl let a smirk tug on her lips, her hands resting on her waist.

-

"You are special," Brooklyn mirrored her expression and planted a kiss on her cheek, which she didn't mind.

-

"That's nice, Brookie," she grinned, sticking out her tongue at him.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

"Concentrate on Zahra's powers, Shaorin," Brooklyn instructed, standing behind her looming over the beydish.

-

Shaorin groaned frustrated, "I'm trying to!" Honestly, she was. But there was just something that didn't click with Zahra; she couldn't seem to control her bit beast very well.

-

Brooklyn didn't grow impatient though, he just kept giving advice to her.

-

"Let's try her out in a battle now," Brooklyn said finally, readying his blade. Shaorin nodded and slid the ripcord through her own launcher.

-

"3…2…1…Let it RIP!" Shaorin shouted as they both simultaneously yanked their ripcords. Zeus came crashing down to the dish as Zahra landed neatly in the middle.

-

Almost immediately, Shaorin charged at Brooklyn's blade, hitting it continuously. But no matter what she did, Zeus didn't seem to be fazed. Beginning to be aggravated and annoyed, Zahra began to glow corresponding to Shaorin's emotions.

-

The black and violet blade spun rapidly as the violet aura surrounding it heightened. Once again it dashed towards Zeus, and to Brooklyn's surprise, Zeus was pushed to the edge of the dish.

-

Shaorin's normally hazel eyes darkened to a light crimson in delight. Brooklyn smirked at her, as if to say "you won't win that easily'. The brunette put on a determined look and concentrated on the battle again. She wanted to prove to Brooklyn that she _could_ do this.

-

"Zahra!" she called upon the bit beast, unsure if she would obey her command. But instantly, a beam of light emitted from the top and from it appeared, Zahra. The bit beast gazed at Shaorin almost scrutinizing way.

-

Getting over the shock, Shaorin began to take control again, "Zahra, Onyx Crystal!" she didn't know how she knew what to day, but somehow she found the right words to command Zahra with.

-

Zahra flew upwards into the sky before stopping and turning around, she dove straight down towards Zeus. Upon impact, both blades flew out of the stadium, Zeus was swiftly caught by Brooklyn, but Zahra was too fast for Shaorin to stop and so was thrown into the walls, creating a large hole.

-

Brooklyn was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected Shaorin to gain control over Zahra so quickly, much less master such a powerful attack. He had underestimated the potential she had.

-

A soft yelp woke him from his thoughts; he snapped his head towards where the blade was embedded. Shaorin was nursing her poor finger which had been slightly burnt from the still hot blade.

-

"Are you alright?" Brooklyn asked, concerned.

-

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, careful to take it out this time, avoiding the metal attack ring. Shaorin slipped it back into the pouch by her right leg.

-

"Think it's time for a break?" he grinned slightly.

-

"Sure," Shaorin's now hazel eyes glittered happily, "Will you take me out for ice cream?" she asked him with a pleading look. Brooklyn watched her unsurely, but her big puppy-dog expression won him over.

-

"Fine." He shrugged slightly, and waited for her to follow him out the building.

-

"Lemme get my jacket first!" she exclaimed, dashing ahead of him towards the dorm section of the building, "I'll meet you out front."

-

Nodding, Brooklyn continued on, though glancing back at the hole that was now in the wall. That girl sure knew how to pack a punch…

-

-

* * *

- 

-

Rushing to her room, Shaorin grabbed her jacket and a hat. As she was about to leave a glitter of something caught her eye. She glanced at her bed-side table and saw a necklace with a locket and a ring on it. Vaguely wondering if it was a connection to her past, she picked it up. _Did Brooklyn give this to me?_ She unclasped it and placed it around her neck, admiring the soft glint off the silver in the mirror. She opened up the locket and found two pictures; one of her mother and father and one of a little boy that she didn't remember. Confused, she snapped it back closed and fingered the ring. Peering on the inside, she found her name inscribed on it in neat calligraphy.

-

All this "trying to remember" stuff was giving her a huge headache. Shaorin groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Suddenly she remembered that Brooklyn was waiting for her. As quick as she had came, she left hoping that the rest of the day wouldn't be as weird.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

"_Holy crap! Kai, what the hell happened to you!"_ the blunette remembered Tyson exclaiming a few days ago after Shaorin had brought him back to the hotel and left.

-

"_Where's Shaorin?" Celina asked once she saw that he was alone. Kai watched the ceiling blankly. Shaorin…was gone._

_-_

"_Kai? Where's Shaorin? What happened to her?" they all threw questions at him all at once. For God's sake, he had only woken up an hour ago! _

_-_

_A low groan emitted from his dry lips as he tried to block the voices out of his head. Shaorin was gone and it was his fault. If only he hadn't been so weak. He was getting soft._

_-_

_Suddenly, he felt a hand seize him roughly by the shoulders, pulling him up into a sitting position. Kai felt a sharp pain in his arms._

_-_

"_Where the hell is my cousin," Ray's voice was a mixture of coldness, concern, worry and anger. He spoke slowly and furiously. Kai could vaguely hear the others trying to pry Ray's arms away. _

_-_

"Where_ is Shaorin?" he repeated. Kai still didn't answer._

_-_

"_Kai Hiwatari, you bastard, what have you done to her?" no one had seen Ray actually that angry before. It had shocked them, but still they couldn't let him shake the remaining life out of Kai like that._

_-_

"_She's gone…" he answered finally in an almost inaudible voice. _

_-_

"_We know that, but where is she?"_

_-_

"_I don't know…Boris…Bega…Kidnapped…" Kai trailed off. The antiseptics were beginning to make him tired. He wasn't in critical condition, but neither was he all hunky-dory. He had a bruised rib and bruises all over him. His chest was bandaged because of a long cut there and so was his forehead. Even his face paint was off. Kai looked almost…vulnerable._

_-_

_At this point, he thought he would have been experiencing tears or something, but nothing came to his eyes. He hadn't cried in so many years. At the Abbey, they had been taught to hide emotions with a mask. But the mask had been there for so long, that it was as if Kai had forgotten _how_ to cry._

_-_

_Ray let out a long string of curses in Chinese as he let go of the older teen. Kai slumped back down onto the white pillows and Ray fell into the chair next to him._

_-_

I promised her…we'd find her and get her back. _Kai remembered what he had said._

_-_

"_I have to go find her," he muttered and threw off the covers, and the small tubes connecting to his body were also torn off hastily before he broke into a half walk half limp down the white hallway of the hospital._

_-_

"_No, Kai! Wait! You can't run off like that, you're still injured!" Naomi shouted, chasing after him. But Ray beat her to him and stopped in front of the crimson orbed teen, cutting him off._

_-_

"_You're staying Kai, we need to find Shaorin, _together_," Ray said sternly._

_-_

_Tiredly, Kai nodded, unsure of what Ray had actually said._

_-_

"_Find Tala…" Kai mumbled, before passing out and falling into the Chinese boy's arms._

_-_

Now Kai was not allowed to leave his bed until he had healed more. And surprisingly, well not really, Kai was healing quite rapidly and the doctor said that he would be fine in a few days. So Kai was permitted to leave the hospital.

-

"Are you ready to go?" Max asked, glancing at the duffel bag on Kai's hospital bed.

-

"Yes," he said gruffly and hoisted the light bag over his shoulders. Only the BladeBreakers came to see him out of this wretched place, the rest of the RebelBladers were at the Abbey, working with the Demolition Boys, or now self-named the Blitzkrieg Boys. They were trying to find out where Shaorin was being kept.

-

On their way to the Abbey, in order to meet up with the other teams, they decided to walk instead of take the bus since Kai had refused.

-

Turning a corner, they spotted a red-haired boy leaning by the railway of a tall building. His aquamarine eyes stared back at them in caution. Then they both heard a voice shout, "Brooklyn?"

-

The BladeBreakers turned to look up the stairs only to see a familiar hazel eyed girl standing there, watching them curiously too.

-

"Who are they?" she whispered softly.

-

"I don't know, they've been staring at me for a while though," Brooklyn said.

-

"Think they're gay?" Shaorin suddenly asked. Brooklyn arched a ginger brow.

-

"Don't think so, they're looking at you too." Shaorin laughed.

-

"Shaorin!" Ray exclaimed. Shaorin turned to the person who spoke and her eyes widened.

-

"Ray!" she grinned, and ran down the stairs and leaped into her cousin's arms.

-

"Thank God you're safe," he sighed in relief.

-

"Safe? What are you talking about?" Shaorin asked him, "I've been here all along with Brooklyn and the others."

-

"Brooklyn?"

-

"Yeah, my," she blushed before continuing, "boyfriend."

-

The BladeBreaker's eyes widened in shock. Kai narrowed his eyes at the ginger haired boy, who just smiled nonchalantly.

-

"She was recently blacked out by a small accident, and is still recovering from some memory loss," Brooklyn said. Ray frowned, what were they trying to do? What had happened to Shaorin? Why was she acting as if she didn't know them anymore?

-

"We're going to take you back Shaorin. The RebelBladers are still looking for you," Max told her. The hazel eyed girl furrowed her eyebrows and stared at his clear sky blue eyes.

-

"You're Max from the BladeBreakers with my cousin, right?" she finally smiled in realisation, "But who are the RebelBladers? Do I know them?"

-

"Yes! Of course you know them!" Tyson burst out, "They're your team mates!"

-

"Team mates? But…I don't remember them. Isn't my team, BEGA?" By now Kenny was typing away furiously on his laptop, looking for a profile on the RebelBladers.

-

"No! That can't be!" he exclaimed.

-

"What is it, Kenny?" Ray asked.

-

"The RebelBladers, they're data no longer includes Shaorin's!"

-

"What! That can't be possible," Tyson said, grabbing Dizzi from the shorter boy. Brooklyn smirked; of course there was no information on Shaorin in the RebelBladers database, all that had been taken care of.

-

Shaorin was incredibly confused by this point. Was there something about herself that she doesn't know? Could her cousin's team have the answers? She glanced at each of them. If so, then why couldn't she remember any of them?

-

Her gaze stopped at a pair of intense crimson eyes. The owner's gaze seemed to bore into her. She let her mouth open slightly at the realisation that she'd seen those eyes before. Her gaze lingered a bit more before, turning back to Brooklyn who stood right behind her now.

-

"Having some trouble?" another voice asked. They all turned around to see Boris standing near the entrance, smirking at them.

-

"Boris," Kai sneered. Shaorin frowned, not liking the tone of voice.

-

"What do you want?" Tyson demanded.

-

"There's a lot that I want, but hardly any of them will concern you," the purple haired man said.

-

"What did you do to Shaorin!" Ray shouted.

-

"Let's just say, I made a few adjustments," Boris answered.

-

Tyson frowned and shouted, "Give us back Shaorin!"

-

"And I might, but on one condition," Boris smirked thoughtfully.

-

"Fine, name your price," Kai growled.

-

"Team BEGA will challenge you to three matches, if you win, things will be back to normal, and I'll disappear."

-

"We accept your challenge then." Tyson said stubbornly.

-

"What…?" Shaorin said under her breath. What was going on! She didn't understand what they were talking about. Was there more to her than what she was told?

-

Feeling overwhelmed, she tugged at the white sleeve of Brooklyn's trench, wanting to leave. Brooklyn glanced at her and nodded.

-

"Ray, we're going to go now," Shaorin said to her cousin, "So I guess next time I'll see you at the dish." Without letting him answer, she pulled Brooklyn's arm and hurriedly left.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

"Feeling any better?" aquamarine eyes stared at her.

-

"Mm…not really…sort of…no?" she mumbled. Brooklyn chuckled softly.

-

"This is all so confusing, I wish this amnesia would away," she groaned, tapping her spoon to the ice cream dish. Her boyfriend smiled faintly.

-

"I wish I could help, but I can't. You never told me that much about your past before."

-

"Gee, don't I regret it now," she grinned, "Anyways, I'm finished now, can we go?"

-

Brooklyn smiled, "You're impatient, you know that?"

-

"I've been told _that_ many times before," she rolled her eyes, "Come _on_." She pulled him to his feet and out of the ice cream parlour.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

Deciding to go for a walk, Shaorin led Brooklyn randomly around the streets into the heart of the city of Moscow.

-

"Brooklyn?"

-

"Hm, what?" he replied, turning to face her.

-

"Why…did you go out with me in the first place?"

-

Brooklyn froze at the question, "Because it felt right." Shaorin frowned slightly. What kind of answer was that?

-

"Oh"

-

"Yeah," he mumbled before changing the topic, "It's starting to get chilly, why don't we head back?"

-

Shaorin shook her head, "No thanks, I'll return later. I want to explore a bit more."

-

"Alright," his ginger hair shook as he nodded. She smiled wistfully.

-

"I'll see you later," she tip-toed slightly and pecked him on the mouth. But before she let go, Brooklyn kissed her back, deepening it. She quickly pulled away.

-

"I'm…still not sure about it Brook, just give me some time," she smiled sadly. Brooklyn nodded again and left but not before adding a short "I'll be waiting".

-

As soon as he left, she sighed in a relief. Something just felt wrong about their relationship, even though she liked Brooklyn and all. The key word is probably _like_, she liked him…but did she _love_ him?

-

-

* * *

-

-

Kai glared at anyone who looked at him as he walked down the streets of Moscow. Now they knew where Shaorin was, but the problem now was getting her back. It was next to impossible to just march up to Boris and take her. Especially now that for some reason she couldn't remember any of her old friends.

-

He hated to admit it, but he _did_ miss her company. Even though they had been separated for so long, he wasn't used to not hearing her cheerful tone of voice.

-

Bored, he stopped and leaned against a wall, scanning the crowds slowly. Surprisingly, he caught sight of a pair of familiar hazel eyes. The hazel orbs widened in recognition.

-

"Hi," Shaorin said as she neared him.

-

"Hey," he grunted, though inwardly happy and relieved that she was there.

-

"Are you Kai Hiwatari?" Kai hid a frown at her question, he hated the fact that she no longer remembered. And the fact that Boris had brainwashed her into believing that she was with Brooklyn.

-

"Yes, what of it?" Kai sneered.

-

"Yeesh, I was just asking," Shaorin crossed her arms, "No need to be so mean."

-

Kai smirked, "Well, I obviously don't know you, so what reason do I have for being nice." He lied.

-

"Well back at the BEGA building, I sure didn't seem like a stranger to you." _Damn…_Kai frowned.

-

"What do you want then?"

-

"I just have a few questions to ask. There's something that's been bugging me…"

-

"What? So am I now your personal psychiatrist?"

-

"Ugh…can't you stop being such a jerk!"

-

"And can't you stop complaining?" he remarked.

-

Shaorin scowled at him, "Look, I just want to ask you some questions, and then I'll leave, okay?"

-

"Fine"

-

"How say we go for a walk then?"

-

"I agreed to answer questions, not go on a date."

-

"God…can you please stop biting my head off and just come!" Kai hid a smirk.

-

-

* * *

- 

-

"Okay, so my first question is how did you know me?" Shaorin began as soon as they began walking.

-

"We met at the Abbey when you were small, but you left when you were eleven to go to Canada. Didn't see you again until a while ago. You were kidnapped by BEGA about week ago. And now you don't remember anything from your past," he answered bluntly.

-

"Um…okay?" she said, "Then what about the RebelBladers?"

-

"You met them in Canada, was runner-up in the Canadian Tournament. They were Celina Inoshi, Naomi Wara and Sandy Hiura."

-

His answers were short and blunt, but Shaorin didn't mind. It was just that most of what he was telling her she didn't understand. She thought that there was something familiar about the RebelBladers, but she just couldn't remember. A headache was irritating her, but Shaorin couldn't help but ask more questions.

-

She bit her lip before asking her next question, "Is there…something more to _us_ than friends?" She didn't know why she had asked that, but his crimson eyes reminded her of her dream.

-

Kai paused before answering her question, "Maybe."

-

"She frowned, "So it that a yes or no?" Kai turned his head slightly to look at her. Her auburn hair was wind blown and messy and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. Hazel eyes looked at him in confusion and questioning. His gaze traveled to her lips.

-

Slowly, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips, and she made no move to stop him. Instead, as if by instinct, she drew closer towards him and closed her eyes. He reluctantly pulled apart.

-

"Does that answer your question?" he inquired. Shaorin touched her lips which still tingled from the brief contact. Kai caught sight of the necklace she was wearing.

-

He reached over and held it in his hand, opening the locket, he pointed to the picture of the little boy, "Me." Shaorin gaped at him. So did that mean that everything he had just told her was true? Did it mean that BEGA was really deceiving her? If so, then that meant everything about her that she was told was a lie. And so was Brooklyn and her. It was all…a lie?

-

-

* * *

- 

End of Chapter 17

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* * *

-

Hey everyone! Sorry for the once again _late_ update! I've been busy lately. Have to do a PowerPoint presentation, but I don't know a single thing about it! Haha, but I'm learning! Thanks for those who reviewed last time! I'm beginning to think that less and less people actually read this fic. But then again, I can't expect much since I'm pretty much a newbie; mostly because I don't always have to time to write, but it's a passion of mine. Thanks for those who've supported me along the way though!

-

Much Love,

Musei.


	18. Calm Before the Storm

**One Life One Love**

**-**

**Chapter 18: Calm Before the Storm**

**-**

**Disclaimer: Musei doesn't own Beyblade.**

**-**

**-**

* * *

**-**

"What! A match with Team BEGA? But what happened to the Russian Tournaments?" Naomi exclaimed when she heard the news.

"BEGA has bought the BBA, so now the tournaments are cancelled. Instead they're going to be soon launching a project called professional blading," Tala answered for her. Celina watched him admiringly.

Kai had arranged a copter to take them out to the Abbey in order to help search for Shaorin, since the Abbey had much more developed technology. Of course, Celina was more than happy to help. Firstly, Shaorin was her best friend and secondly, she had taken a liking to the red-head beside her.

"God…I'm going to murder whoever took Shao away," Sandy growled and Celina nodded in agreement.

"Count me in, Boris has made my life miserable ever since I joined to abbey," Ian snorted. Celina and Sandy exchanged glances.

"What do you mean?" Celina asked, her ruby eyes watched them curiously.

Ian proceeded to tell them of how the Abbey trained its soldiers. Or rather, bladers. They were taught to be ruthless and taught not to show emotions. Those who succeeded were promoted to be part of the Demolition Boys, which were the top group in the Abbey.

If you failed to do as they told you, you were punished. There were many different forms of punishment there, like whipping, drugs, etc. All of them painful and feared.

"I still have scars from the whips," Tala whispered quietly. Celina stared at him sadly almost wanting to pull him into a hug.

Naomi gasped, "That's horrible."

Spencer smirked slightly, "But it's changed now that Voltaire is gone and also Boris. Kai has been doing a fine job of re-creating the Abbey."

"But Kai's only 17, how is he supposed to handle all that!" Sandy exclaimed.

"Hey, he has us to help him here," Bryan pointed out, "We're older than him and fully capable of handling the Abbey."

"Oh…right," Naomi nodded in understanding.

"So what about BEGA? Are they like the Abbey?"

"From what is shown on the media, it's just a training facility who's promoting professional Beyblading, but knowing Boris, it's probably far from what it seems," Ian told them.

"Dammit, now that Shaorin doesn't remember us, it's going to be harder trying to get her out of there. She probably won't trust us. And knowing how gullible she is, she'd likely trust whatever it is that Boris is telling her," Tala snapped.

"Calm down, Tal, I'm sure we'll get her back," Celina said with a great determination, "I've known her for a long time now too, and I know that she's a good judge of character. Shaorin will be able to tell who's there for her and who isn't." She smiled at him reassuringly.

* * *

- 

When Shaorin got back to her dorm, she collapsed onto her bed. She felt a lump at her throat and was close to tears. She didn't understand anymore. She didn't know who she was or what was going on. Was she supposed to trust Kai? Or Brooklyn?

Ray and his friends said that she was supposed to be with a team called the RebelBladers, but wasn't she with BEGA ever since she was small?

She didn't know who to believe. Both sides seemed to be sincere and truthful. Ray being her cousin would technically know her for the longest time. And also she had remembered him so he couldn't be lying to her right? But then…what about Brooklyn? He was supposed to be her boyfriend, so he wouldn't be lying to her either right? Then there was also Kai. From the looks of it, he didn't seem to be the type of person to open up easily. So it she _wasn't_ his girl, then he wouldn't have kissed her like that, right?

Ugh…this was just all too complicated. Why couldn't she have lived a simple life! Subconsciously, her finger reached up and touched her lips, where she still felt the remains of a familiar tingle. Just one kiss from the two toned blunette and already she was confused. She'd had been kissed by Brooklyn a few times, and still she never felt like this.

Maybe Kai was right…and she had been fed a whole bunch of lies. But who could tell? She didn't even know herself anymore! A groan came from Shaorin's throat in a hoarse manner. She shut her eyes and buried her face in her pillow.

* * *

- 

"So?" Ray asked once Kai got back to the hotel.

Kai made no move to answer him and continued towards the elevator.

"Kai! Did you speak to her at all!" the Chinese teen exclaimed.

"…Yeah." And he left, before Ray could ask anymore questions.

Once in the elevator, Kai leaned against the soft cushioned walls of the elevator and sighed softly out loud. As much as he respected Ray and his love for his cousin, he just didn't want to be bothered at the moment. He had enough to deal with already; issues which concerned Shaorin.

He was hoping that she would trust him enough to believe what he had told her. And so far, it seemed alright. After all, she _had_ asked him all those questions on her own. So that showed something at least, right?

As much as he hated to admit, he did miss her. But that was clearly visible to his team mates. He had been separated from Shaorin too long already and it was almost unbearable having to see her leave once more.

The elevator made a "ding" sound, indicating for Kai to get off.

There was no way he was going to give up. Kai _was_ going to get her back, if that's the last thing he does. They'd been through too much for him to just let her go like that. Brooklyn would _not_ take Shaorin away. The BladeBreakers were going to win against the BEGA team; Kai would make sure of that.

* * *

- 

"Shaorin," the muffled voice of Brooklyn came through the door.

Quickly, she wiped her tears away and got up to open the door, "What is it Brooklyn?" she plastered a big fake smile on her face. If the ginger haired boy could tell, he didn't say a word about it.

"Dinner. MingMing is going to start to whine if you don't hurry up."

"Mhmm, I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright then," Brooklyn smiled. Shaorin placed a kiss on his cheek to assure him that she'll be fine. Closing the door behind him, she sighed and slid down to the floor. God…how long could she keep this up for? She may not have known who she _really_ was, but it didn't mean that she could really feel free with Brooklyn. Kai had just thrown her current life off course the moment he stepped into the picture.

* * *

- 

"Let it RIP!" a distinct voice shouted, followed by sounds of a beyblade landing in the dish.

Dranzer was tearing the vibrant blue dish apart by the mere force of his master's anger. The phoenix squawked loudly as he appeared in front of them.

Tyson clenched his fists out of nervousness and concern; he had seen Kai angry before, but never angry to the point of tearing apart the dish before the battle had even began.

Come on Dragoon! The dragon rose out of the blade and stared back at the fiery phoenix as if to say 'what's eating you?'. Kai narrowed his crimson eyes and ordered his bit beast to attack. He would beat Brooklyn and bring Shaorin back. _And_ he would find a way to bring Shaorin back her memories.

Before Tyson could even react, Dragoon was thrown out of the dish and onto the ground. He shook his head; he had vaguely expected this from Kai. The said blunette was breathing in pants with an eerie gleam in his eyes.

"Look Kai, maybe you should get some rest," Tyson suggested, "you've been training for hours now and you're gonna wear yourself out this way."

"I'm fine," Kai snapped, "But if you can't keep up with me, then go take a break."

Tyson scowled, tired of his crankier-than-usual attitude, "Kai, stop this! You're gonna lose to BEGA before you even try if you keep going."

If looks could kill, Tyson would be dead on the ground right then.

"I _know_ what I'm doing."

He snorted, "Che, as if I'd believe that. If you keep this up, Shaorin would never forgive you. Brooklyn would massacre your blade before you even started to call out Dranzer."

Kai's gaze only hardened even more as Tyson turned his back towards him and left. The navy blue eyed teen could only hope that Kai would be wise enough to go and rest up for the upcoming match instead of tearing himself and the only chance of bringing Shaorin back apart.

* * *

- 

Fortunately for Tyson, Kai _had_ indeed gone and rested. But still when he woke up again, he was still feeling the anger from before.

He glanced up from his position by the open window and caught sight of the door that connected his room to Shaorin's former one.

Without hesitation he strode over and opened the heavy door. All her things were still as she had left them; a pair of slippers still lay at the foot of the bed, long forgotten; one of her shirts were hung on the doorknob to her washroom along with her toiletries on the counter top. Nothing had been removed and Kai saw her suitcase peeking out from the closet door.

Out of curiosity, he lifted up the top and found Shaorin's scrapbook. He flipped it open to a random page with a picture of a miniature Shaorin and him. He was standing to the side with his arms folded and a bored look on his face while she was blowing out candles on a birthday cake a grin gracing her features.

It had been her seventh birthday and she had decided to have a party that year. Naturally he had been invited, but so had about 5 other girls, much to his dismay. Kai had been angry with Shaorin for doing that to him for days before the party. Her parents had always laughed that they argued like an old married couple.

Next to the photo she had written the words: Seventh Birthday! Bliss for me! Torture for Kai! **Muahaha…**

Kai smirked and turned the page to find 9 year old Tala and himself with a 7 year old Shaorin. The Kimoto's had brought all three of them to the amusement park that year and Shaorin had insisted that they ride the spinning teacup like ride. Begrudgingly they had both agreed but didn't know that the ride was actually that nauseating…Kai was sure that he was looking slightly green in the picture and Tala too. He remembered Shaorin giggling happily when she got off the ride, before teetering in dizziness and walk straight into a sign.

The more pictures Kai saw, the more he remembered the time when he was a little boy. Hey wait, maybe this could bring back Shaorin's memories. Yes…he'd try, but right now, the match with BEGA was more important. He would help bring back her memories after he had her back.

* * *

- 

Boris slammed his fist down onto his desk while staring down the BEGA team, save for Shaorin, in front of the oak table.

"You will _not_ be losing the match that's coming up," Boris said clearly, "I refuse to let all my plans and hard work go down because of this match. Dragoon will be mine and Shaorin is to stay working for BEGA."

The members of the BEGA team barely even flinched, as they were accustomed to the demanding tone of Boris.

"Do you understand?" They nodded. Yawning out of boredom, Brooklyn glanced towards the door.

"This is a waste of time, Boris. Since I don't plan on losing anyways," the ginger haired boy smirked.

"I'm well aware of your intentions, Brooklyn. You may go now," he waved them away so that they could head to dinner.

* * *

- 

"Like, who does he take us for? A bunch of rookies?" MingMing continued to complain as they returned to their rooms after dinner.

On the way, passing by the training rooms, MingMing heard a soft whizzing sound accompanied by a loud racket coming from one of them.

"Someone must be hard at work," Crusher commented.

"Sounds more like they're demolishing the whole place," Garland said grimly, picturing the rubbles of what would be left of the training rooms and its facilities. Boris wouldn't like that, and neither would the caretakers.

"Let's have a look, now," Mistel grinned, slowly turning the doorknob as not to alert whoever was inside.

To their surprise, it was Shaorin who was in there causing all the noise. She let out a cry as she released Zahra again. Zahra rushed around the sides of the dish before becoming too much for Shaorin to handle and flew out of the dish towards Shaorin.

The hazel eyed girl instinctively dodged but her right cheek was now marred by a shallow cut. She hissed and reached up to inspect the cut, feeling a small sting she shook it off and retrieved Zahra again. She still didn't notice the rest of her team behind her.

Again, she pulled the rip corn and Zahra landed neatly into the dish. Shaorin gritted her teeth and tried to withstand the immense power.

Earlier, she had summoned Zahra and planned on doing a little training. But she had discovered something about her bit beast that she could not control. Zahra was a shape shifter, a power that Shaorin and not encountered before and she couldn't control the power.

Bewildered, from the doorway Brooklyn watched as the small girl fought for dominance with her bit beast. She was determined to come out on top and as the one in control.

Beside him, Mistel stared at Shaorin in approval. He respected her for her skills and firm personality. A small smile danced on his lips, before he decided to help her out a little.

Sprinting over to the dish, he smirked as his Poseidon landed upon Zahra. Shaorin glanced up at him in surprise and looked back at the door to see everyone staring back at her. She couldn't help let slip a smile.

"Come on Shaorin!" MingMing shouted cheerily.

Come on Zahra, let's do this. The bit chip glowed in anticipation, despite her earlier refusal of discipline, Zahra wouldn't refuse a challenge.

Shaorin's lips set in a thin line of determination; she prayed that this would work.

Zahra appeared out of her blade and instead of her usual appearance, she looked like Poseidon. Mistel was taken back a bit, but quickly regained his confidence and ordered Poseidon to attack. Zahra may look like his bit beast, but their powers and strength were nothing alike.

But to his surprise, Zahra changed again and was now Appollon, Garland's bit beast.

"Radiant Thunder!" Shaorin shouted as Zahra copied Appollon's attack and successfully pushed Poseidon out of the dish. A triumphant grin appeared on her face as she caught Zahra.

But her body was taken over by a wave of fatigue, with a faint smile still on her lips she began to fall backwards; Zahra clutched tightly in her hands.

Being closest to her, Mistel rushed over to catch her.

"Is she alright?" MingMing asked, coming up beside them.

"She's fine, she just passed out from wearing herself out," Mistel nodded.

"That's good," MingMing sighed, "Brooklyn, take her back to her room." She glanced at the taller boy, whose aquamarine eyes looked at her in questioning.

"Well you _are _her _boyfriend_ after all," MingMing pointed out. Rolling his eyes at the comment, Brooklyn took her from Mistel's hold. Truth be told, he liked Shaorin, but he didn't agree with Boris's idea of hiding the truth from her. Why couldn't Boris just play fair? Was he _that_ much of a coward? Brooklyn mentally snorted.

Shaorin was light in his arms, even for a girl her size. His grip tightened when they walked through the narrower corridors, so that her head wouldn't hit the walls.

Subconsciously, Shaorin gripped his coat, her eyebrows furrowed together in a frown.

* * *

- 

"_Hello?" Shaorin called out softly into the woods that occupied her dreams. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, she turned around and was shocked to see herself and a boy whose face she couldn't see. _

"_You can't catch me!" 'Shaorin' taunted and ran into the woods quickly, to avoid him. _

_Smirking, he ran to catch up to her, "I don't think so." He began to gain on her and she squealed, running even faster. Ducking behind some trees, Shaorin breathed a sigh of relief when she lost him. Grinning, she climbed up the tree she was leaning upon, waiting for the boy._

_Once he came into view, she released the tree branch and it whacked the male in the head. She couldn't help but laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. _

"_Come out, come out wherever you are," the boy said as he looked around for her. What Shaorin had forgotten was that her feet were dangling off the branch, in clear view of him. _

"_Gotcha." And before Shaorin knew it, she was plummeting down to the ground. _

"_Oww…" she groaned, and held her ankle delicately. He knelt down on one knee beside her, "Are you alright?"_

"_Not really," She began to get up, "I think I sprained my ankle." The boy gently pushed her back down. Confused, she looked up to see that he had turned his back to her._

"_Climb on, you can't walk like that," he told her. Shaorin hesitantly climbed on and he got up and walked away. _

_Shaorin was as they left, she wanted to follow, but her feet stayed put._

_Who was that boy? Brooklyn? Or was it Kai?_

* * *

- 

TBC

* * *

- 

_(scream)_ I'm uberly sorry! So much has been happening these past few months that I haven't the time to update! But just to let you know, One Life One Love will indeed be ending soon. In probably a few more chapters only…say 2 or 3, it really depends. But there's definitely one chapter after this and also the epilogue. It's just that I don't know how long they are. So anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter!

1) I'm not sure if Poseidon is how you spell Mistel's bit beast; help me out if you can!

2) Sorry about the many changes in the way the format/appearance of the story looks right now. I'm still experimenting with spacing…because it used to look very squished together, and then it was spaced too much apart afterwards.

3) Thanks for all your reviews: Drago-Kai, Krystal Ice Phoenix, MyStIc BlAcK PhOeNix, Ellen, emily06, Beyblade-gal, skyblue-tiger, Shiyu-Inuyasha


	19. Remembrance And Partings

One Life One Love

Chapter 19: Remembrance and Partings

Disclaimer: Musei does not own Beyblade.

-

Shaorin grimaced as she readied herself for their upcoming battle that day. Brooklyn had come in earlier to tell her to be ready in an hour; Garland wanted to train her for a bit.

She had to admit that their so-called relationship was on thin ice these past few days, and she kept zoning out so much too. Every time, she'd have all these weird memories in her mind, but they were all about Kai, the Bladebreakers and a group of girls that she finally recognized last night.

Of course, she hadn't told anyone just yet. Shaorin was just too cautious these days; she had no idea who to trust anymore. Part of her wanted to say Brooklyn but the other half said Kai. She was literally being torn apart. It was as if her life depended on today's match. It they lost then she'd end up with Kai, and if they won she'd stay with Brooklyn and the BEGA team.

And the thing is, she doesn't know whose side she'd on. But she'd been more crushed yesterday when Garland had told her that she was going to be a sub instead of facing off one of the Bladebreakers.

"But why!" she had protested.

Garland just shrugged his shoulders and told her, "Boris's orders." And now she was damn pissed at Boris. If she could, she'd most definitely give him a piece of her mind.

Picking up Zahra from the bedside table, she placed her in her pocket, where the chip glowed in frustration from not being able to battle that day.

"Ready?" Brooklyn asked, from the other side of her door.

"Give me a sec," Shaorin responded, slipping on her shoes; a pair of boots that Ming Ming insisted she wear. Flinging the door open, she smiled up at the ginger haired male. Brooklyn glanced at her feet and raised an eyebrow.

"Hope you'll be able to walk in those, because I'm not going to be carrying you."

"Pfft, I'll be fine." He shrugged and waited for her to lock her door before leaving, Shaorin fell in step beside him.

-

-

"I'm so psyched!" Tyson exclaimed, "This is going to be the best match ever!" Sandy frowned grimly; on the contrary they could lose Shaorin, which would NOT be the best.

"If you're worried about the match, don't be," the nay blue haired boy grinned in front of her, "The BEGA team won't stand a chance against us."

Max shook his head at Tyson's enthusiasm, "Don't be too sure, Tys. They're pretty powerful and they're all top bladers.

"Max is right, Tyson," Kenny added, "Don't underestimate them."

Celina rolled her eyes, "You're all hopeless. Half of you are overconfident, the other half are way too cautious. You guys need to stop worrying. No matter what, we will get Shaorin back."

'_And that's a promise'_ Kai added silently.

-

-

Shaorin squinted as she stared up into the stadiums which were jam packed with fans. They were all cheering, whether it was for BEGA or the opposing team.

She snapped her head the other way when she heard the other team being introduced. Her hazel eyes caught sight of the Dragoon blader and the grinning blond boy beside him. Her eyes shifted to her cousin who was talking patiently with the scrawny brunette beside him. Sitting on the bench was the blunette who was plaguing her unconsciously. He had on a bored expression, doing the same thing she was doing; analyzing the teams.

Looking up, Shaorin saw the 3 girls who she'd recognized in her flashbacks. A familiar sense of relief fell over her though she wasn't sure why.

Feeling a dull thud at the back of her head, she winced as it got louder and pounded in her mind. Seating herself down more comfortably, she cradled her head in her hands, trying to settle the pain. From beside her, Brooklyn rubbed her back soothingly. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, and assumed it was a side affect of whatever it was that they had first injected into her system.

From across the stadium, Kai glared at the aquamarine orbed male. He didn't like the fact that he was so close to Shaorin. But it was not like he could run over and snatch her out of his hold, as out of character as it would be.

Trying to push thoughts of her aside, he watched as Ray got ready for their first battle. The Chinese blader glowered dangerously when he saw the other team.

Kai saw Tala and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys in the stands. Kai nodded at the redhead slightly. Tala motioned for him to look up higher and Kai followed his gaze, before seeing Boris. The blunette narrowed his eyes at the man in disgust.

Back on the BEGA side, Shaorin breathed deeply, willing the pain to subside while catching bits and pieces of memories. And before she knew it, 3 matches had already gone by. 1 for 1 and a tied match.

Shaorin looked up at Garland desperately. Zahra was pumped and ready for some action. He nodded at her and she headed up towards the dish.

To her surprise, she found Kai standing opposite of her; his blade already out.

He smirked, "Do we always have to do this?" he said mostly to himself. Shaorin glanced at him in bewilderment; but followed suit.

On the cue, they both pulled their rip-cords and sent their blades flying. Shaorin gritted her teeth as they made contact. Kai grimly made notice that she no longer used Liatora.

"Zahra, let's show them what we've got." Shaorin smiled, summoning her bit. The harpy rose and towered over both of them with a strong aura. Sensing the great power, Dranzer rose too.

They were now done with the game of cat and mouse and going head on into battle. Zahra picked up speed and sped away from Dranzer, leaving the phoenix in her dust. She glided upwards and turned 180 degrees before diving downwards towards her opponent. But Kai had lost sight of Zahra due to the quick movements and failed to notice the attack.

Dranzer took a hard blow but remained spinning. Across the dish from the Russian teen, Shaorin let a small smile play on her lips.

"I expected more from a blader like you, Hiwatari," she gave him a mock disappointed look. Kai narrowed his crimson eyes at who was supposed to be his childhood friend.

"It's no fun playing this game. Come one Zahra, let's end this." On Shaorin's command, Zahra came in for the finishing strike, but Kai was quick and made Dranzer counter her attack; resulting in both blades being repelled to the rim.

Shaorin gritted her teeth, but felt a sense of déjà vu wash over her, sending a dull throb to her head again. She staggered slightly but gripped her launcher tighter and stood straight.

"You were saying?" Kai smirked. Shaorin merely smiled and shrugged, "Well, you win some, you lose some. But this isn't over yet."

"Cheesy…" Kai commented. Before Shaorin could stop herself, she was sticking her tongue at the blunette childishly.

"Oh," she gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth and blinking awkwardly. From behind her, Brooklyn chuckled softly at her child-like tactics.

"Zahra, Dark Streak," she ordered, still blushing slightly. Without hesitation, Zahra raced towards Dranzer at the same time he began performing his own attack. Shaorin's head continued to throb and the pain became more and more consistent. Again, the attacks cancelled each other out to no avail.

The hazel eyes girl gripped the side of her head tightly, as Kai commanded Dranzer to attack; not noticing her pain. By the time he'd looked up, Shaorin let out a sharp cry as her body fought the injection that Boris had given her. She felt and cold and hot at the same time.

Quite overwhelmed, she fell to her knees just as Zahra flew past her and landed behind. Kai caught his own blade and rushed to Shaorin's side, but not before Brooklyn did.

"Shaorin, are you alright?" the ginger haired boy asked, gently nudging her awake. Kai scowled at the way Brooklyn held the girl closely.

Shaorin stirred, emitting a soft groan. Her eyes fluttered open catching a glimpse of blue and red before closing again.

-

-

Carl Kimoto had been in a CEO conference when he'd suddenly received an urgent message through his secretary from Mr. Dickenson. When he heard about his daughter's condition, he was shocked to say the least. Immediately his schedule for the day and most probably the week were placed on hold and he called for his driver to take him to the airport.

"How is she? Is Shaorin alright?" was the first thing he shouted when he arrived outside her room.

"She's fine, Uncle. The doctors said that she fainted because of some unknown chemical that was injected into her system," Ray told him quite calmly.

"Then can I see her?" Carl asked.

"Yeah sure, we'll give you guys some time alone," Ray nodded as he headed into Shaorin's room. Sighing, he slid down onto the floor. Everything was just so messed up. Glancing to his right, Kai was leaning against the wall, a calculating look on his face. Across from him, Tyson was playing around with Kenny's computer while Kenny was on the phone with Celina and the others.

And to his left, were the BEGA team members. As much as Ray loathed the team at the moment, he understood that Shaorin would have wanted them to be there. Besides that, the security had trouble trying to fend of Crusher who was determined to wait for Shaorin.

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell over both teams, but it was soon broken by the pounding footsteps of the rest of the RebelBladers. Sandy led the trio down the hall with a determined but worried look on her face.

"Ray is she okay?" Naomi asked, looking close to tears. Celina, standing behind her, bit her lip.

"She's going to be fine, Shao is just tired, that's all." Ray assured them, "Whatever it is that Boris gave her, was draining all her energy. We're just lucky that she wasn't given anymore that what was already in her system."

Hearing that, Garland looked slightly relieved; since from the beginning, he was the one who was in charge of giving Shaorin more doses of Boris' experiment, but he had never gotten the chance to because there was never the time with the battle they were training for.

The door to Shaorin's room clicked and Carl Kimoto exited, a slightly more relaxed look on his face now.

"She'll be fine," he told the girls, "But she still has yet to regain her memory…" he trailed off. Kai looked grim at the statement; that would be that she still didn't remember him. The RebelBladers shared the same thoughts.

-

-

Shaorin felt cold. She couldn't see anything and it was dark where she was…wherever that was anyways.

'_Crap…where am I?'_ she thought.

"Anyone here?" Shaorin's voice echoed throughout the pitch dark around her.

"Brooklyn?" No answer.

"Ming Ming?"

"Garland?" Still nothing.

"Dad?"

"Kai?" the name rolled off her tongue naturally and Shaorin vaguely wondered who it was she was calling out to.

"Mom?" And to her surprise, someone did answer.

"Honey, is that you?" A woman with long wavy black hair and porcelain face stepped out of the shadows.

"Mom!" Shaorin hugged the woman tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Shaorin honey, I miss you so much," Mrs. Kimoto smiled lovingly.

"I missed you too Mom," Shaorin sniffed.

"I know honey, I know. But there are people waiting for you when you wake up. They're worried about you. You must remember who you are Shao," her mother combed her auburn hair while speaking in a soothing tone.

"I want to Mom, but it's so hard. My head starts to hurt every time I try to recall something."

"Don't worry dear, take it slow." And with that the image of her mother before her began to fade away and she woke to find herself lying on the hospital bed.

She opened her mouth to say something but her throat felt dry and instead she gave a loud croak, which caught the attention of her father. Mr. Kimoto quickly rushed towards her with great relief that she was awake. With a smile on her lips, Shaorin happily embraced her Dad.

-

-

"So have you spoken to her at all?" Ray asked Kai while they trained privately.

Kai gave him a glanced at him sideways and shrugged.

"But Kai, she's been out of the hospital for weeks now. She even remembers Tyson, Kenny and Max now, so why won't you let any of us speak to her about you!"

Ray continued on, "She asked me where you were once, you know. She may not remember who you are in detail but there must be something if she can still recall your name!"

By now Kai's grip on his launcher was tight enough that his knuckles were white, "Look Ray, I don't want to speak to her and I don't want anyone speaking to her _about_ me either. There's no point in it anyways. I think she's gone through enough with me around, and now that she has the chance to practically start over I think that she should do it without me."

Ray glared at him, "I'm sure that Shaorin enjoyed her time with you. You mean a lot to her Kai. Think about it."

Kai didn't say anything but replied by ramming into Drigger and knocking him out. Then he picked up Dranzer and left.

-

-

"So you doing alright, Rin?" Celina asked spinning herself around on the tire swing she was sitting on.

"I'm fine, it's just that I still can't remember some of the stuff you guys tell me about." Shaorin smiled and slid down the twisting yellow slide.

"Oh that's alright, we don't expect you to remember _everything_ in a day or anything like that."

Shaorin laughed, "Good; because then I don't want to end up in a coma for over thinking." Celina giggled.

Glancing at her watch Celina gave a small squeak, "Oh no, I'm late for an appointment with Tala."

Shaorin threw her friend a sly look, "You mean a date?"

"No!" Celina tried to control herself but still turned a little pink, "It's just a professional appointment; he wants me to help with the plans on developing BioVault."

She rolled her eyes, "Right, whatever Lina!"

Not even answering to that, Celina stuck her tongue at her, waved a quick goodbye and dashed off towards the end of the park. What Shaorin didn't notice was Celina glancing behind her and winking.

Shaorin felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around.

She gasped, "Kai…" and flung her arms around him tightly. Kai's expression softened a little and hugged her back slightly.

"Oh my gosh! You-," she looked at him again and blushed, remember that kiss from before.

"I what?" he asked when she stepped back from him again.

Shaorin only blushed deeper, "Nothing, it's nothing."

Kai rolled his eyes, "Sure whatever you say."

"So what are you doing here anyways?" she asked, "I'm pretty sure you're the Abbey isn't around here, since Ray told me that it's opposite from my house in Moscow."

Kai shrugged casually, "I thought you might want to talk." Shaorin nodded.

-

-

"So what's this?" Shaorin asked, holding up a big black album. They were sitting at a nearby café that Kai suggested they make a stop at.

"It's your old scrapbook."

"My scrapbook? Then why do you have it?"

"I kept it when Celina went to return your stuff to you," he answered, "I thought now might be a good time to give it back."

"Oh that's cool, I don't remember even keeping a scrapbook," she smiled, flipping it open.

"Oh wow, is that us?" Shaorin pointed to a picture of the two of them a lot smaller, splashing in a pool. Kai nodded, and for another long while they kept doing the same thing. Shaorin would point to a picture and ask about it, while Kai explained. He wasn't sure if it would help or not, but he was enjoying the time he was spending with her.

"I appreciate what you're doing for me, you know," Shaorin smiled with a tinge of blush on her cheeks. Kai nodded his head at her. And unexpectedly, she hugged him, burying her face into his jacket.

Awkwardly, Kai hugged her back, wondering where the impulsive gesture came from.

"I miss you Kai," she whispered, "I still can't remember who you really are in my life but there's something that tells me that you meant a lot to me." An almost smile appeared on his face. Almost. Not Quite.

"I…missed you too," he tightened his hold around her.

-

-

"Hate to say I told you so, but…I told you so," Ray smirked when Kai came back to the hotel.

Kai rolled his eyes and walked past Ray into his room.

"I saw you two in the café looking pretty cozy," the Chinese boy followed him into the room.

"She suddenly latched onto me," Kai answered.

"Well at least it says something. Maybe she does sort of remember you."

"Maybe, but I won't know for sure. Plus, I don't think I'll get the chance to find out."

"What? Why?"

"I'm to return to the Abbey very soon."

"What are you talking about Kai? Why the Abbey?" Ray asked, puzzled.

"My grandfather passed away last night, and I'm his only heir. So it's only natural for me to take over BioVault."

"But what about Rin…?" Kai paused.

"She'll be fine," he shrugged, "She's got you guys to help her with remembering stuff."

Ray gritted his teeth, "You know she'll never forgive you if you leave now."

Kai answered, "I have enough to deal with Ray, I don't need to think about what she'll hold against me if we ever meet again."

The Chinese blader sighed, "Well once you've set your mind on something, there's no stopping you I guess. Just remember to come back for her or I'll personally hunt you down."

"You know I'll be back," Kai smirked.

"I hold you to that," Ray nodded.

-

-

The days progressed and word passed that Kai would be leaving at the end of the week to attend the hearing of his grandfather's will. It seemed that everyone knew about the news except for Shaorin. Every time she asked about where Kai was, Celina bit her lip and lied that he was busy wrapping some business up with Boris or training. Even now Kai didn't want to see her and Celina had already given him a piece of her mind a while back.

In her eyes, Celina thought that Shaorin was strong. Despite the fact that she felt very lost, Shaorin still held on and didn't give up in re-finding her past. She'd already remembered most of the events leading up to their recent tournaments. Shaorin knew who Kai was but was still unsure about what had happened during the Canadian tournaments and the one against BEGA.

Celina was afraid that once she found out about Kai and that he was leaving, she wouldn't be able to take it. Throughout the weeks Shaorin grew emotional every time some sadder memories were brought up. But it amazed Celina how fast her friend had progressed and somehow she seemed slightly different. More grown up and matured maybe.

They usually had these really deep and long conversations about the 'old days' and when they were little kids.

"So then Tyson is…loud and brash?" Shaorin asked, trying her best to describe Tyson.

"Hey!" Tyson exclaimed, "That's not very nice!"

Shaorin laughed, "Sorry, but that's how it sounds like…!" sipping her hot chocolate.

The three had them had randomly met up and gone out for a walk.

"I'm not loud…I can keep secrets too!"

"Hah, yeah right. Tell me one secret you've kept then!" Shaorin teased him.

"Fine! I still haven't told that Kai's leaving yet!" Tyson burst out.

Celina stopped in her tracks and resisted the urge to beat the boy up.

"He-what?" Shaorin asked a different tone in her voice now.

"Oh it's nothing, he's just joking!" Celina covered, trying to laugh it off.

"No…what did Tyson say," Shaorin said seriously.

"I-…Kai's leaving, okay?" Tyson explained, out of options, "He told us not to tell you, but I guess I really can't secrets. I'm sorry you had to find out Shaorin."

Shaorin felt a felt her a lump swell in her throat as she kept her tears in.

"When…?" she asked.

Tyson looked at Celina who shrugged hopelessly.

"Saturday," he answered.

"Two days..?" Shaorin's voice cracked a little. An awkward silence fell over them until she finally said that she wanted to go home.

-

-

"Come on Shaorin!" Ray knocked on her door, "You can't stay in there forever."

"I don't want to go out…" the answer came out muffled.

Ray sighed helplessly and slid down to the carpeted floor, "Look, would it be better if I got Kai?"

Shaorin thought about it...did she want to see him? Well she did…but on the other hand if he didn't want to see her why should she pine for him?

Ray waited for an answer but when he didn't receive one, he got up and left.

-

-

"No," Kai said.

"Shaorin's been in her room for a day already."

"I'm leaving today Ray, if she sees me it'll only be harder for her."

"If you don't want to hurt her, then don't avoid her!"

Kai thought about it for a moment before finally sighing, "Fine." He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Ray.

"Give it to her and don't read it yourself."

Bewildered, Ray nodded, trusting that Kai had a plan or some sort.

-

-

It had been 2 hours since Ray was sent to come knocking at her door and Shaorin was thankful for the silence that allowed her to think more clearly.

A shuffle at her door made her sit up. A slip of paper appeared from under her door and Shaorin waited until she heard footsteps leaving before she got up to retrieve it.

Quickly reading the note, a wavering smile slipped upon her face.

Shaorin hurriedly picked out an outfit and left, leaving the note behind. But before she closed the door, she took her locket from the bedside table and placed it around her neck where it belonged.

-

-

End of Chapter 19  
-

-

(A/N): Yeah I think I've lost my writing skills over the summer…which turned out to be the weirdest one yet. Heh, so yeah there might've been a style change in the middle of this chapter where I went on hiatus for a while. Sorry! And just to let you know, there might be only 1 chapter left, because this is about where I'd like it to stop. ) Much love, people!


	20. Maybe

**One Life One Love**

**Chapter 20: Maybe**

Disclaimer: Musei does not own Beyblade.

* * *

Kai made his way through the narrow corridors of the Abbey quickly. Stealthily, he'd slipped by the Blitzkrieg Boy's training room and headed towards the middle of the site. This was where the willow tree stood.

Meanwhile, Shaorin was sitting in a taxi, trying her best not to freak out. Arriving at the gates of the Abbey, the driver said that she had to get off; because that was the farthest he was allowed. Nonetheless, Shaorin paid him and sprinted as fast as she could towards the main building.

She followed the same route Kai had just tread on and reached the spot where the note had told her to meet him.

"Kai?" Shaorin called out, not seeing anyone in the courtyard. A tap on her shoulder caused her to whirl around in surprise. Kai's crimson eyes stared back at her.

Seeing his passive demeanour made all the anger that was cooped up inside burst.

"Why didn't you tell me you are leaving?" the petite girl shouted, and landed a punch on his chest.

"Don't I mean anything to you? _Anything?_" she punched him again.

"I can't take it anymore! How am I supposed to remember everything if you won't help?" she thrust her fist forward again but was caught by Kai.

"I don't want you to be hurt because of me." Shaorin shook her head at him.

"You won't. Sure the details are vague, but I know that you won't hurt me intentionally," Shaorin stepped towards him when he let go of her hand.

He sighed. "Rin, you don't understand. I've put you through so much, why should I make you remember all of it over again?"

"Kai Hiwatari! Don't be so selfish! You're abandoning me all together!"

"I'm only doing it to protect you."

Shaorin stared at him for a moment, searching in his eyes for something, anything to reassure her that he'd change his mind, but his eyes told her nothing.

"Please," she pleaded, "I don't want you to leave me like this." Tears welling in her eyes, she slid to the ground in defeat.

"I'll come back for you." It came as a soft whisper, but Shaorin heard it.

"Take me with you instead?" Kai shook his head.

"No, I think…that we both need some time to think things over. But I will be back, I promise."

Hesitantly, Shaorin gave in and nodded, "But how long? When will you come back?"

"I don't know…whenever we're both ready. By that time, you'll have remembered me completely, and probably not want me back either." Kai smirked.

"Don't say that…" she smiled at last, pulling herself up and hugging him. She breathed him in, trying to imprint the scent in her mind. Kai wrapped his arms around her lithe form, content for the moment.

* * *

"When are you leaving?" she mumbled into his shirt, when they were sitting against the old willow tree.

"Tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" She almost whined, Kai nodded, "Can I come to see you go?"

"No, it'd be harder for me if you did." Shaorin smiled sadly but agreed.

They were both quiet for a moment before Kai spoke again.

"You know…I _will_ miss you," he admitted softly and Shaorin's smile brightened.

"I'll miss you more than you know," she sighed wistfully, "I just pray that the next few years will breeze by quickly, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Kai ran a hand through his two-toned hair, "Wondering if I'm doing the right thing now."

Shaorin laughed, "I should be selfish and say you're not, but I can see why we need to do this. So much has happened…I think we both need some time apart."

"Hmm," Kai agreed.

"Will we keep in touch though?" she looked up at him expectantly.

Kai shook his head, "I can only tell you I'll do my best"

"I see…" Shaorin glanced away in disappointment.

"Rin, don't be like that," Kai frowned.

"No, no, I'm fine." She insisted and blinked back unshed tears. She got to her feet abruptly, tearing herself from his embrace.

"I should go now," she said stiffly, "Rei will be worrying about me." Kai watched her in confusion.

"Rin-," he began.

"No, I really think I should-," but was cut off by Kai placing his lips over her own. She tried her hardest not to cry, but a droplet fell just as they broke apart.

"Goodbye Kai," she said with her voice cracking, and dashed into the building. Just as she collapsed into a heap by the wall, the tears came rushing and she sobbed; crying what was left of her heart out.

"Shao?" A bewildered Tala appeared by her side. Without warning, Shaorin reached for him and continued to cry.

"Calm down sis, it's going to be alright. You'll make it through," he rubbed her back. He looked up to see Kai standing at the end of the hall. But without a word, he walked out and left the scene.

* * *

It was Saturday morning, the day Kai was due to leave and for both teams to leave Russia. The RebelBladers were headed back to Canada and BladeBreakers to Japan.

Kai had already left early in the morning, to avoid any goodbyes. His team mates were disappointed but didn't hold it against him.

"Okay guys, our flight's going to leave in a few minutes," Celina turned to the Blade Breakers who. They were all at the airport waiting to say goodbye.

"I'm going to miss all of you," Shaorin pouted.

"Not to worry, we'll keep in touch," Rei winked.

"You guys had better add us on your contact lists," Sandy instructed sternly.

"Yes Ma'am," Max mock saluted.

"I'll see you soon, kid," Tala hugged Shaorin before she went to bother Ian some more.

"Goodbye Pinocchio! I'll miss you and your big nose," she laughed.

"I sure won't miss your pixie dust," he pretended to sneeze.

"Hey!" she protested, but Brian stood between them before she could do anything else.

"Take care of yourself, and call us if you've got troubles," Brian smirked.

"Believe me, I will," she laughed heartily.

After many hugs and even more goodbyes, the BladeBreakers and RebelBladers finally had to board their flights.

"I'm going to miss them all," Celina sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Tala will visit us in Canada soon," Naomi said mischeviously.

"Yeah I hope- Hey!"

"Oh come on, it's SO obvious. Even Shaorin can tell, and she's as dense as a rock most of the time."

"I resent that…" Shaorin coughed.

"You know, you sound like Kai when you do that," Sandy commented.

* * *

End of Chapter 20

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

_**8 years later**_

"A winter wedding? Seriously, Celina?" Shaorin gaped at her friend, who nodded fervently.

"Tala wants us to get married in Russia," she replied. "So I thought we might as well take advantage of the snow."

"It's Moscow, I think Tala wouldn't mind if you got married in the warmth of the summer!" Shaorin groaned, her head falling to her hands in defeat. "We are _so_ screwed if nature decides to smite you that day."

"Oh come _on_, we're the best that there is. We'll get through it."

"Yes, _and_ I get to deal with Bridezilla," she teased. Shaorin and Celina were now in the event planning business, coordinating big parties and events for the rich and the famous. Shaorin's contacts from her days as a singer had really come in handy, although she'd retired years ago at the peak of her career.

Celina gave her a look, but changed the topic. "Speaking of which, have you heard from Kai lately?"

Shaorin shook her head, her auburn hair flying around her. "The last time he replied my email was a month ago. And I haven't been able to call him either."

"Seriously? What a jerk. He should be making more time for you." But she only shrugged in response.

"We're both a little busy, I guess." All her memories had returned a few months after their parting, and she became even more determined to hang on to what was left of their relationship. Kai had tried his best to reciprocate, but she sometimes felt like she was in the way. More often than not, their phone calls led to one of them falling asleep on the line… sometimes both.

"Still, don't you wish he was here?" Celina looked at her curiously.

Shaorin raised on eyebrow, wondering where she was going with this, suddenly bringing up the topic of Kai. "Well, sure. Of course I do."

"Do you think you'll get married someday?" The question froze her in her tracks, before she smiled again.

"As long as it's not in the dead of winter in Moscow."

"Geez, fine, it all that snow is such a big problem, I'll push it up to the fall or something," Celina rolled her eyes. "By the way, I'm supposed to meet with a client at 7:30 tonight for a consultation, can you handle it for me? Something suddenly came up with the Kawasaki birthday party that I have to deal with."

A frown graced her partner's expression, but she sighed and nodded. "I might be a bit late though, I was supposed to pop into the charity gala that's happening tonight. Wait, why do we even have a meeting at night? Don't we have office hours?"

Celina shrugged, "It was the only time the client could make it for. It seemed like it'd be good for business so I allowed it."

"Aw man," Shaorin pouted. "I wanted to watch the Criminal Minds marathon tonight too."

"Sorry!"

* * *

Around 8 in the evening, Shaorin hurried back to the office after checking in on the night's event. Still, in her cocktail dress, she fumbled with her clutch to find her car keys. The car ride back seemed to take forever, and she was definitely beyond late for this meeting. If only that couple hadn't stopped her to speak about possibly having her and Celina plan their child's fifth birthday party - not that she didn't welcome the business but she hated to be late.

She rushed into her office, past the empty receptionist desk. In her haste, she didn't even notice the lack of light in the unit.

"I am _so_ sorry sir, I had a previous appointment I had to attend to and it ended later than I'd expected," she explained as she hurried past the man seated in front of her desk. He faced towards the window so she couldn't see his face.

"It's fine," he said curtly. He stood up as she sat down, retreating into the further side of the room where it was darker, as if interested in the books that aligned her shelves. Shaorin only nodded and pulled up her schedule on her computer screen. She really couldn't be bothered right now, all she wanted was to go home and soak her feet after wearing these damned heels.

"Well, let's begin with what type of event you're looking for," she glanced briefly at her guest before taking out a pen and notepad.

"A wedding," he replied.

"Oh, congratulations," Shaorin smiled as she jotted down a few notes. "Tell me a little bit about your fiancée and how you met."

"We've known each other for a long time… but she doesn't know we're going to get married yet."

"Really?" Shaorin frowned. As if _that_ wasn't a little bit weird. "Okay… well is there any sort of theme or destination you're looking for?" She was glancing down again when she heard his footsteps approach.

"Anywhere but Moscow during the winter."

Shaorin's head shot up when she heard that, just as the man stepped close enough for her to see. Amused crimson eyes gazed at her, his lips set in a slight smirk.

"Kai?" she whispered, almost inaudibly, and dropped the pen she had in her hand.

"Rin," he replied. He was even taller now, and more mature. His face was more angular, absent of his trademark fins, which now brought even more attention to those captivating crimson eyes. He stood casually in front of her desk, with his hand in one pocket of his suit. He looked so professional, unlike the street blader image he held when they were teens.

"I-How did-…Wait," she blinked. "So the whole client thing was a ruse you made up with Celina?" She frowned, wondering how she hadn't recognized his voice, but it did sound a bit different than on the phone.

"Not quite so dense anymore, are we?"

She blushed and made a face at him, "It _has_ been 8 years, Kai. You've got to give me at least a _little_ credit."

"True. It wasn't all a lie though," he stepped closer so that he leaned over the desk. "I do need you to plan a wedding." He took something out of his pocket and slid it towards her. It was a box, and not just any box. "_Our_ wedding."

Shaorin gingerly flipped open the lid, finding herself staring at a beautiful ring, with one diamond set in the middle and smaller ones beside it. She was at a loss for words, and looked up Kai, who was now at her side, with her mouth agape.

"Is that a yes? I'll pay you well for this job," he leaned towards her.

"With what?" she asked, finding her voice again. He smirked and moved even closer. She could feel his warm breath on her skin and the familiar musk of pine.

"With my life. I want to spend the rest of it with you." He sealed their lips together, hands cupping her face to pull her closer. He gently sucked on her bottom lip and she parted her mouth, letting him slip his tongue in. She felt his tongue brush against her own, and melted, reciprocating the passion. Reluctantly, he pulled away with an amused glint in his eyes.

"You never answered the question."

Shaorin laughed and stood up to properly hug him, but found herself being picked up and her feet dangled off the ground. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes," she answered, muffled by his shoulder before tilting her head up to face him. She reached up closer to his ear to whisper.

"I've got one life to live, and I want to spend it with you."

* * *

End

* * *

A/N: Phew, finally finished although it took much longer than I'd have imagined. Excuse the amount of cheesiness I put into the last bit here! The title 'Maybe' refers to Ingrid Michaelson's song, which I thought kind of fit with this final chapter. Anywhoo, thanks for reading, and I hope your eyeballs haven't fallen out by now due to my crude writing skills from when I was like… 13 haha. As much as some of it (especially the first half of the story - I had quite the overly dramatic imagination, it would seem) makes me cringe when I reread it, it's still like my baby so I can't bear to delete it!

I had an alternate ending for this, but it became too long that it was a mini-plot all on its own so I just tossed it.

This is Musei Kage, signing off.


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